Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases

\r\n The diseases which are caused by pathogenic microorganism such as virus, bacteria, parasites, fungi come under the category of Infectious. Another category is Zoonotic diseases which are the diseases affecting animals but also infects when transmitted to humans. These diseases are transmissible from one person to another. According to a report in today’s world more than half a billion people are affected with Communicable diseases. The topic includes various kind of infection depending on the diseases causing agents and arboviral diseases.

\r\n Childhood infections / Pediatric infections are the infections which are caused in different age group children. Pediatric infections experts take care of the infections occurring in children and the treatment methods vary for children from adults. 11 million children deaths every year are attributable to six causes: neonatal infection, diarrhea, malaria, preterm delivery, pneumonia or lack of oxygen at birth. Some of the deaths occur from illnesses like malaria, measles or tetanus. Others result indirectly from marginalization, conflict and HIV/AIDS. Global burden of Pediatric mortality is increasing enormously every year.

\r\n Any discussion of the business case for infection control (IC) must start by acknowledging that the single most important reason for IC is to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with nosocomial infections. Each year, hundreds and thousands of Americans suffer the consequences of nosocomial infections which can be ranging from the inconvenience of taking extra medications to death. Beyond the human cost is the important economic burden that these infections place on society, including not only the obvious increase in health care resource use but also indirect costs associated with the loss of productivity of patients and their caregivers.

\r\n Clinical Immunology associated with studies of diseases which are caused due to disorders of immune system i.e.., abnormal growth of any cellular tissues of the system, hypersensitivities such as in asthma , immune system failure and other allergies. It also includes the diseases of other systems, where immune reaction plays a vital role in the clinical aspects and pathology. Clinical Immunology divided into two categories: autoimmunity host body own itself attacks the immune system in the other hand Immunodeficiency is a category in which inadequate response is attained by the immune system.

\r\n An allergic disease occurs when a person's immune system reacts to substances present in the environment that are harmless for most people. These substances are known as allergens and are found in dust mites, foods, pets, ticks, pollen, insects, moulds, and some medicines.

\r\n Neurological infections are the infectious diseases which are observed in the Nervous system. Viral and immune mediated disorders of the nervous system are the most challenging neurological infections. The most common neurological disorders are multiple sclerosis and HIV. In spite of noteworthy advancements in the treatment of infectious diseases; central nervous system (CNS) infections still remain a major challenge. They are frequently difficult to diagnose, and treatments are either insufficient or non-existent. Infections can be categorized as acute or chronic. Infection of the nervous system is categorized to meninges (meningitis) or the brain substance itself (encephalitis), or both of them (meningoencephalitis). Some infections that trigger an inflammatory reaction that causes neurological damage independently  or coincide with the infection. In some inflammatory conditions, new issues may arise which might be related to the disease and infects and lowers the activity of CNS gradually.

\r\n Infectious diseases of animals are a major hazard to earthly animal health and welfare and their effective control is necessary for agronomic health, for defending and procuring national and international food supplies and for mitigating rural poverty in developing countries. Some catastrophic livestock diseases are regional in many parts of the world and threats from old and new pathogens continue to rise, with changes to worldwide climate, agricultural approaches and anthropology presenting conditions that are especially supportive for the spread of arthropod-borne diseases into new geographical fields. Zoonotic or phonetic infections that are transmissible either directly or indirectly between animals and humans are on the increase and pose serious additional risks to human health and the recent pandemic status of new influenza A (H1N1) is a topical illustration of the challenge presented by zoonotic viruses. Veterinary scientists often collaborate with Epidemiologists.

\r\n Bacteria are microscopic single-celled organisms that live almost everywhere. Bacteria live in every climate and location on earth. Some are airborne while others live in water or soil. Bacteria live on and inside plants, animals, and people. The word "bacteria" has a negative connotation, but bacteria perform many vital functions for organisms and in the environment.

\r\n Fungal Infectious Diseases are often caused by fungi that are common in the environment. Most fungi are not dangerous, but some types can be harmful to health. Mild fungal skin diseases can look like a rash and are very common. Fungal diseases in the lungs are often similar to other illnesses such as the flu or tuberculosis. Some fungal infections like fungal meningitis and bloodstream infections are less common than skin and lung infections but can be deadly.

\r\n Germs can cause infection in human blood and diseases are known as blood borne pathogens. The most common and dangerous germs spread through blood within the hospital are viral hepatitis B and hepatitis c virus. These viruses cause infections and liver injury. This virus cause AIDS. Organisms such as bacteria, viruses, prions, and parasites will be transmitted through blood transfusions.

\r\n Vaccines are the products that can produce immunity from a disease and can be administered through needle injections, by mouth and by aerosol. Vaccination is the injection of a killed or weakened organism that produces immunity in the body against that organism. Antimicrobials/ antibiotics/ antibacterial are the drugs used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Few antibiotics possess antiprotozoal activity. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza and their inappropriate use allows the emergence of resistant organisms.

\r\n Medical diagnosis is the process of determining the type of disease or condition that explains a person's symptoms and signs. Laboratory tests may identify the organisms directly by visualizing the organism on a culture by a microscope or indirectly identifying antibodies to the organism. General types of tests include microscopy, culture and immunologic tests i:e; agglutination tests such as western blot, latex agglutination, enzyme immunoassays, complement fixation tests, precipitation tests and nucleic acid/ no- nucleic acid-based identification methods. Sub types of diagnosis may include clinical, laboratory, radiology, principal and admitting diagnosis. Advanced methods include biomarkers/ Elisa test/ chest x ray/ skin biopsy/ Tympanometry and tympanocentesis have been implemented to diagnose the infection rapidly.

\r\n Antimicrobials/antibiotics/antibacterial are the drugs used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections like strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis. They may either completely kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Few antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity. Antibiotics are not effective against viral diseases such as the common cold or influenza and their inappropriate may allow the emergence of resistant organisms.

\r\n Infectious diseases continue to have a major impact on the health of communities around the globe from the world HIV and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics, to the threat of resistant bacteria, to the challenge of emerging and newly identified pathogens. All compel the need for new ways to detect such pathogens, to understand their pathogenesis, and to devise effective interventions for their prevention and control. Infectious Disease Epidemiology collections of  domestic and global works on the epidemiology of emerging and re-emerging infections, world infectious disease threats, disease surveillance, disease detection, vaccines development and other methods of prevention, various clinical trials, and the effect of infectious pathogens in the pathogenesis of chronic non-communicable diseases, like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Viruses are like hijackers. They attack typical living cells and use them to multiply and produce other viruses like themselves. This can slaughter, damage, or change the cells and make sick. Different viruses attack certain cells in the body such as liver, respiratory system, or blood. Viruses are made of genetic material inside of a protein coating. Viruses cause common infectious diseases like common cold, flu and warts. Viruses also cause serious illnesses like HIV, Ebola and smallpox. Vaccines can help in preventing many viral diseases.

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\r\n Ebola viral infection is caused by virus transmitted through body fluids and through air. It occurs rarely but it is very lethal which results in death and several outbreaks. Ebola virus disease symptoms are very severe which appears in 2-3 days. Ebola primary symptoms include fever, sore throat, muscular pain and headaches then followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, decreased function of the liver and kidneys then loss of blood internally and externally finally leading to low blood pressure and fluid loss resulting in death. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. Individual with zika viral disease can have symptoms including rashes, mild fever, muscle and joint pain and malaise or headache.

\r\n Oral infections are one of the most common diseases in humans. The two most common oral infections are periodontal disease and caries ailment. Dental caries is the most well-known chronic disease of adolescence and is the greatly neglected among youngsters. Periodontal illness is the most widely recognized infectious disease of adults. At least 1/3 of the population is affected by chronic periodontitis, a bacterially instigated destruction of the attachment of the tooth to the bone. Non-disposable things like dental tools should be cleaned and disinfected between patients. Disposable dental instruments and needles are never reused on another patient. Contamination control precautionary measures conjointly required for all dental staff associated with quiet care to utilize defensive clothing, for example, gloves, covers, outfits and eyewear. FDI recommends that every oral professional should be familiar with post-presentation activity for the administration of occupational exposures to blood-borne pathogens, and proprietors of oral human services centers should organize arrangements inside the workplace to guarantee proper and sparing administration of such episodes.

\r\n A vaccine is a suspension of whole or fractionated bacteria or viruses that are rendered non-pathogenic. Vaccination has been extremely effective in preventing various serious infections that were once fatal and now have been eliminated. However, these infections still occur in parts of the under-developed and developing nations. Vaccines are frequently unavailable in developing countries. Each year, millions of people die from drug-treatable vaccine-preventable diseases. Furthermore, successful vaccines have yet to be developed for major global diseases such as tuberculosis. In addition, technologies that are used to develop and manufacture vaccines are often outdated and are not easily adaptable for rapidly responding to disease outbreaks, such as influenza.

\r\n Neglected tropical diseases are traditionally neglected at the community, national, and international levels and are endemic in several under-developed and developing countries. They affect populations living in poverty especially without proper sanitation and in close contact with various infectious vectors and disease-causing livestock’s and causes significant health and financial burdens across underdeveloped nations and widely impacts their socio-economic statuses. Neglected tropical diseases are caused by bacteria, virus, parasites, helminths, protozoans etc. These including liquid body substance filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis, represent a heavy burden to public health. Unlike many public-health risks, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV, the burden of human suffering caused by neglected tropical diseases remains poorly recognized by the global public-health community.

\r\n POC diagnostics delivers rapid information for patient care. The common platform is the lateral flow immunoassay. Recently, emerging molecular diagnostics have met requirements for speed, low cost, and ease of use for POC applications. A major driver for POC development is the ability to diagnose infectious diseases at sites with a limited infrastructure. The potential use in both wealthy and resource-limited settings has fueled an intense effort to build on existing technologies and to generate new technologies for the diagnosis of a broad spectrum of infectious diseases. POC diagnostics also reduce the reliance on presumptive treatment and thereby facilitate antibiotic control. Rapid diagnostic tests work by detecting analyte that are found in or extracted from clinical samples. There are two primary types of analytes: microbial antigens and patient antibodies that are specific for microbial antigens.  However, there are emerging molecular technologies that enable nucleic acid-based approaches at the POC.

\r\n Contamination counteractive action and control is required to keep the transmission of Infectious Ailments in all social insurance frameworks. These maladies are typically caused by microscopic organisms or infections and can be spread by human to human contact, creature to human contact, human contact with a contaminated surface, airborne transmission through little beads of irresistible operators suspended noticeable all around lastly, by such regular vehicles as water or sustenance. Infection control and Counteractive action requests a fundamental comprehension of the study of disease transmission of maladies, chance factors that expansion quiet defenselessness to contamination, and the practices, methodology and medicines that may bring about diseases. Late systems have demonstrated that there is no illness that can't be dealt with.

\r\n HIV/AIDS still remains one of the most critical health challenges in the face of the world. According to reports around 36.7 million people are living with HIV and an estimated 1.8 million new infections are recorded in year 2016. There are some certain ways through which HIV can spread from one person to another such as blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. HIV transmission is only possible if these fluids come in contact with the mucous membrane or damaged tissue or are directly injected into the bloodstream. HIV can also transmit from a mother to her child during the time of pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Earlier, there were some cases of HIV transmission during organ or tissue transplant from a HIV infected person. HIV treatment involves taking medicines that are called antiretrovirals also known as ARV. These are always given in combination with other antiretrovirals. The therapy involved is called antiretroviral therapy also named as ART. Using ART drugs has significantly reduced the number of deaths related to AIDS.