Posts Tagged Infectious Diseases
CDC States 2012-2013 Flu Vaccine is an Excellent Match
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on December 7, 2012
Have you had your flu shot yet this year? Or are you one of those that doesn’t believe they’re safe, think they’re unnecessary or just never get around to getting it? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this year’s vaccine is an excellent match for the flu 
strain making the rounds this year. In addition, the flu strain that is expected to be prevalent is one that is usually associated with a very severe flu season. So, if you think it’s a waste of time, the CDC will disagree with you, especially this year. The strongest flu activity right now is in the south and southeast but this is just the beginning of the season and it will spread so a flu vaccine is valuable now and continues to be so later in the flu season. As of early November 37% of the population has already received the vaccine and the CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 6 be vaccinated.
Perhaps you believe that you shouldn’t need to put vaccines in your body and you don’t really care about whether you have to take some time off from work this year. What about all of the elderly and children that you will come into contact with over the next few months, whether you know them or not? Children under 2 and the elderly are most at risk of contracting the flu and of developing complications that can be very serious and even deadly. Getting a flu vaccine is as easy as popping into a local pharmacy or lab testing facility, where no appointment is needed and the wait is very short.
If you’ve ever thought about getting a flu shot and just haven’t made the time, this is the year to do it and feel good that it will make a difference for you and for others you will run into who really can’t afford to get the flu!
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
HIV and STDs Still Worry Health Officials
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on July 12, 2011
If you engage in unprotected sex of any type or with any person you run the risk of contracting a potentially incurable disease. Between misinformation and shame of their risky behavior people continue to contract HIV and other STDs and then spread them to other people. We, as a nation, are not doing enough to prevent these diseases. Is it the old puritan morality that makes people think that STDs are a punishment from God and too bad for the sinners who contract them? It certainly isn’t very christian to look away while more people continue to suffer.
The 
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just released information in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that a new strain of gonorrhea that is resistant to all antibiotics has been identified in Japan. Although it hasn’t been seen in the US or Canada yet, health officials are concerned. Being treated with the wrong antibiotic can create resistant strains of diseases that don’t respond to even the last resort medications, cephalosporin-class antibiotics. One of the possible reasons for this is that gonorrhea in the pharynx, contracted via oral sex is very difficult to treat with antibiotics.
HIV also continues to be a problem in the United States and recent studies have shown that the areas of the US, especially in the South that are the poorest, continue to have the highest rates of HIV infection and AIDs. Misinformation, for example that HIV is still a disease of only gay men, leads people to engage in risky behavior because they think they are immune. Then, once they have contracted the disease, they may not get tested, seek treatment or may refuse to take their medication out of shame that they will be labeled as homosexual. In the southern bible belt, this is a strong motivator to hide the disease. Taking effective medication reduces the risk of transmission to a partner by as much as 96%. But if you’re not getting treatment, you are continuing to spread the disease.
People, and the medical community especially, need to open their eyes and be aware of the dangers for risky sexual behavior. We are acting like ignorance is bliss, but the word needs to get out that any type of sexual activity can make you sick. Once you are sick, you spread the disease and now, it may not be treatable. Wake up and pay attention, people!
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
Pregnant? Take the Right Precautions!
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on June 17, 2011
Syphilis is a disease of old-timers and not a problem any more, right? Horror stories from the past about people with nasty sores going blind and crazy in old age make the name itself scary. Unfortunately, the disease is alive and well, so to speak. People engaging in risky behavior, like unprotected sex with multiple partners, or even unprotected sex with one partner who may not be monogamous are at a high risk for this and other STDs including HIV, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. For 
pregnant women any of these STDs can cause severe health issues or death in their unborn children. Although it is recommended that pregnant women be tested for STDs early in the pregnancy, many health care workers do not follow through and recommend the screenings, or women don’t see the doctor early in pregnancy.
If it’s caught early, treatment with penicillin can halt the progression of syphilis and it’s many horrifying long term consequences. Syphilis is easily transmitted to unborn babies and can cause late abortions or stillborn babies, as well as congenital syphilis in the baby. Nearly half of babies infected with syphilis that passes through the mother’s placenta die shortly before or after birth. The number of cases of syphilis in pregnant women is rising and the children who survive can suffer blindness, deafness, facial deformities and nerve damage. Receiving treatment early in pregnancy can eliminate the disease in the expectant mother and greatly reduce the chances of congenital syphilis. A recent study showed that something as simple as training health care workers to urge women to get the screening when they find out they are pregnant can reduce the number of women still positive for syphilis at the birth of their child by almost 20%, saving many lives.
Many women aren’t even aware that they have contracted syphilis so standard testing is critical to preventing babies from suffering and dying. If you find out you are pregnant, I hope you don’t put off going to the doctor and getting these critical STD tests. Saving a baby’s life is worth a minor needle prick and some bad news, isn’t it?
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
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The Superbug: Are You Safe in the Hospital?
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on March 30, 2011
One would expect that doctors, of all people, realize the importance of washing their hands to prevent the spread of disease. Based on the number of superbug cases in Southern California hospitals during the past year, they’ve gotten lazy. Unfortunately, this type of laziness can cost lives and it’s unacceptable! Doctors in the media are recommending that before a doctor ever touches you, you ask,
“When was the last time you washed your hands?” or even, “Would you please wash your hands first?” It may sound rude, but the alternative can be deadly. A little rudeness can save your life or that of your loved one.
The superbug that has been in the news this week is the antibiotic-resistant CRKP or carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Once thought to be rare, it is now showing up in Los Angeles county. There were over 350 cases reported between June and December of last year. Although the general population isn’t at risk of infection, those who are elderly and spending long periods of time in the hospital are more likely to contract the disease and can catch it through contagion with those who visit or care for them. Tests that can determine exactly which type of antibiotic-resistant virus a person has contracted are critical to fighting the infection. Because the viruses have mutated to defend against specific drugs, using the right one can mean life and death and stop the virus in time.
If you have a loved one in the hospital or are planning to be in one soon, get your lines ready for the doctors: Have they washed their hands? And have you washed yours?
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
Flu Season Has Arrived – Are You Ready?
The flu vaccine causes more fear than the flu itself. Based on last year’s H1N1 influenza and the tremendous impact it had, the possibility of a flu epidemic should inspire us to be cautious and get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that most people get the seasonal flu vaccine because that is the single best prevention available. During the last four weeks, the flu has become “widespread” in 8 regions of the United States and we are still in the early stage of the 2010-2011 flu season.
The number of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza was 7.2% of all deaths nationwide which is slightly lower than the number which indicates an epidemic: 7.7%.
There are those who have clear, definitive reasons for not getting vaccinated, but they risk spreading it to the rest of us. This means that shaking hands can be risky. Did the cashier at the grocery store get vaccinated? What about your neighbor who brought over holiday cookies? If there isn’t a medical reason for refusing a flu vaccine, these folks are selfishly protecting their own beliefs while putting you in danger. I know that I don’t want my elderly grandmother to contract the flu. She can’t afford to get sick. I’ve done what I can to protect her but she is still at risk when people don’t take the simple step of getting vaccinated against the flu. According to the CDC the 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine is very well matched with the flu strains that are making the rounds. Do you part, protect me, your family and your friends and get a flu shot.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
HIV Prevention Pill May Be Reality
Posted by Maureen in Toxicology on November 23, 2010
Condoms and abstinence just aren’t cutting it! President Obama’s strategy for HIV and AIDS prevention has been widely publicized based on the continuing high level of new HIV infections annually in the US. It appears that researchers may have made a huge step forward in preventing the spread of HIV. A standard treatment for HIV, Truvada, may provide protection against the infection, especially if taken daily. “Those who took their pill 90% of the time had a 72.8% lower risk of HIV infection,” according to researchers of the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
An interesting by-product of the study was the information that those who took the prophylactic pill daily were more likely to use condoms and had fewer sexual partners. However, even taking the pill 50% of the time reduced the incidence of infection by 50.2%. It certainly seems to show that those who are diligent in any type of prevention may make a big difference in the efficacy of a preventative. People who engage in risky behavior may continue to do so regardless of the promise of a real way to avoid contracting HIV. Research has also shown that those who were tested for HIV and received positive results were more likely to be conscientious about attempting to avoid spreading the disease. Even the knowledge that you have the infection can be a method of prevention. The tricky part is going to be getting risk takers to become less risky. I’m not sure how the medical community and society is going to tackle that problem.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
Flu Shots Recommended for Pregnant Women and Unborn Babies
Pregnant women are often told to stay away from many medications and foods, but one medication could be tremendously helpful to their unborn children. A study printed in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed that a maternal influenza vaccine can provide protection from the flu not only for the mother, but also for the newborn infant for the first six months of life. Younger children and babies have a higher risk of complications from the flu. Because newborns cannot receive the flu vaccine until they are six months old, this protection is critical. Just as the vaccine does not provide complete protection for adults, it doesn’t for infants either, but the chance of the newborn catching the flu or being hospitalized with respiratory infections is significantly reduced when their mother has received the flu vaccine.
The flu vaccine for the 2010-2011 flu season has been approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and protects against three strains of influenza including the 2009 H1N1 flu which caused so much illness last year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting a flu vaccine every year as soon as it is available to provide the best protection.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
Dramatic Increase in Children Hospitalized with MSRA
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests on May 18, 2010
Until recently, antibiotic resistant staph infections have been seen only in hospitals. A recent study, published in the Journal, Pediatrics, shows that this has changed dramatically and the dangerous infection is now arising in the community. MSRA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, cases seen in children in 25 hospitals in the United States rose 10-fold between 1999 and 2008. “Almost 30,000 children were hospitalized with MRSA infections at the hospitals studied during the 10-year period. Most had skin or muscle infections, and 374 youngsters with MRSA died.” One of the authors of the study, Dr. Jason Newland said “It isn’t clear if MRSA caused those deaths, it can be deadly and is blamed for more than 18,000 deaths in children and adults nationwide each year.”
New tests have been developed that can determine more quickly which type of staph infection a person has, a critical step in the quick and effective treatment of the disease. A corresponding rise in the use of clindamycin, an antibiotic used to treat MRSA, was seen during this same time period. This is problematic because MRSA is already becoming resistant to this antibiotic in some regions of the country. According to Dr. Newland, it is important to continue research into new treatments because MRSA will ultimately find its way around any antibiotic used to treat it.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com
CDC H1N1 Flu Updates:- Press Briefing Transcript: Dr. Thomas Frieden's Remarks at the 2010 Influenza Workshop for Journalists
- HHS News Release: WHO Declares End to 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic
- WHO Statement on H1N1 in post-pandemic period
- UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update
- UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update
- MMWR: Regional Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccination Campaign -- Skokie, Illinois, October 16--December 31, 2009
- UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update