Posts Tagged ‘disease transmission’

What is Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)?

EEE is a rare disease that is caused by a virus spread by infected mosquitoes.  EEE virus (EEEV) is one of a group of mosquito-transmitted viruses that can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).  Tn the United States, approximately 5-10 EEE cases are reported annually.

How do people get infected with EENV?

EEEV is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.  Disease transmission does not occur directly from person to person.

Where and when have most cases of EEE occurred?

Most cases of EEE have been reported from Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.  Cases have also been reported from the Great Lakes region.  EEE cases occur primarily from late spring through early fall, but is subtropical endemic areas (e.g., the Gulf States), rare cases can occur in winter.

Who is at risk for infection with EEEV?

Anyone in an area where the virus is circulating can get infected with EEEV.  The risk is highest for people who live in or visit woodland habitats, and people who work outside or participate in outdoor recreational activities, because of greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes.

How soon do people get sick after getting bitten by an infected mosquito?

It takes 4-to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito to develop symptoms of EEE.

What are the symptoms of EEV disease?

Severe cases of EEV infection (EEE, involvin encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain) begin with the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting.  The illness may then progress into disorientation, seiures, and coma.  Approximately a third of patients who develop EEE die, and many of those who survive have mild to severe brain damage.

How is EEE diagnosed?

Diagnosis is based on tests of blood or spinal fluid.  These tests typically look for antibodies that the body makes against the viral infection.

What is the treatment for EEE?

There is no specific treatment for EEE.  Antibiotics are not effective against viruses, and no effective anti-viral drugs have been discovered.  Severe illnesses are treated by supportive therapy which may include hospitalization, respiratory support, IV fluids, and prevention of other infections.

How can people reduce the chance of getting infected with EEEV?

Prevent mosquito bites.  There is no vaccine or preventive drug.

• Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing.  The repellent/insecticide permethrin can be used on clothing to protect through several washes.  Always follow the directions on the package.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when weather permits.
• Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
• Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and other containers.  Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out.  Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.

Waht should I do if I think a family member might have EEE?

Consult your healthcare provider for proper diagnosis.

Reference: www.cdc.gov/EasternEquineEncephalitis/gen/qa.html

Bloodborne Pathogens

A Bloodborne Pathogens or blood-borne disease is one that can be spread by contamination by blood.

The most common examples are HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Diseases that are not usually transmitted directly by blood contact, but rather by insect or other vector, are more usefully classified as vector-borne disease, even though the causative agent can be found in blood. Vector-borne diseases include West Nile virus and malaria.

Many blood-borne diseases can also be transmitted by other means.

Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given blood contains, and some blood-borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infective. Blood and Body Fluid precautions are a type of infection control practice that seeks to minimize this sort of disease transmission.

Blood for blood transfusion is screened for many blood-borne diseases.

Needle exchanges are an attempt to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases in intravenous drug users.

Sharps Waste and Blood-Borne Disease

Sharps waste is a form of medical waste composed of used sharps, which includes any device or object used to pucture or lacerate the skin. Sharps waste is classified as biohazardous waste and must be carefully handled. Common medical materials treated as sharps waste are:

• Syringes & injection devices
• Blades
• Contaminated glass & some plastics
• Qualifying materials

In addition to syringes and injection devices anything attached to them will also be considered sharps waste. Examples of such attachments could be a syringe, tube, or vacutainer. The entire complex is treated as one unit of sharps waste, even though the attached item cannot puncture or lacerate the skin.

The category of blades can include razors, scalpels, x-acto knives, scissors, or any other medical items used for cutting in the medical setting.

Both needles and blades are always treated and handled with the highest concern as sharps waste. This is regardless of if they have been contaminated with biohazardous material. While glass and plastic are considered sharps waste, their handling methods can vary.

Glass and plastic items, which have been contaminated with a biohazardous material, will be treated with the same concern as needles and blades (even if unbroken). If not contaminated, broken glass and plastic is still a sharp waste but does not pose the same public health risk. Therefore broken glass and plastic that has not been contaminated is not handled as delicately. Some common medical items of this category are test tubes, microscope slides, culture dishes, pipettes, and vials.

It should be noted that individual facilities have detailed definitions of specific materials that qualify. The treatment of a particular material as sharps waste may vary from one facility to the next.

Dangers involved in sharps waste

As a biohazardous material, injuries from sharps waste can pose a large public health concern. By penetrating the skin it is possible for this waste to spread blood-borne pathogens. The spread of these pathogens is directly responsible for the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV. Health care professionals expose themselves to the risk of transmission of these diseases when handling sharps waste.

The large volume handled by health care professionals on a daily basis increases the chance that an injury may occur. Contraction of disease through such an injury will inhibit health care workers from providing their services. This is a cost incurred by society in the promotion of public health. As trained professionals their services are not easily replaced.

The general public can be at direct risk to injuries from sharps waste as well. If these hazardous materials are not separated from standard waste, individuals can unknowingly come in contact with them. In addition, if sharps waste is not disposed, and removed from the environment, then it can be subject to reuse and misuse (both intentional and unintentional). This is especially applicable in the areas of hypodermic needles and blades. The spread of disease through sharps waste is preventable through proper management and disposal.

Sharps waste management & disposal

Extreme care must be taken in the management and disposal of sharps waste. The main goal in sharps waste management is to safely handle all materials until they can be properly disposed. The final step in the disposal of sharps waste is to dispose of them in an autoclave. A less common approach is to incinerate them, typically only chemotherapy sharps waste is incinerated. Steps must be taken along the way to minimize the risk of injury from this material, while maximizing the amount of sharps material disposed. From the moment sharps waste is produced it is to be handled as little as possible. Health care workers are to minimize their interaction with sharps waste by disposing of it in a sealable container. If the sharps waste incorporates an additional part, such as a syringe, tube, or handle the whole unit is disposed together. Attempts by health care workers to disassemble sharps waste is kept to a minimum. Strict hospital protocols and government regulations ensure that hospital workers handle sharps waste safely and dispose effectively.

The self locking and sealable containers are made of plastic so that the sharps waste can not easily penetrate through the sides. The unit is designed so that the whole container can be disposed of with the other biohazardous waste. Single use sharps containers of various sizes are sold throughout the world. These are colored red and labeled for biohazardous sharps waste. They are now commonplace in clinics and hospitals. Large medical facilities may have their own ‘mini’ autoclave in which these sharps containers are disposed of with other medical wastes. This minimizes the distance the containers have to travel and the number of people to come in contact with the sharps waste. Smaller clinic or offices without such facilities are required by federal regulations to hire the services of a company that specializes in transporting and properly disposing of the hazardous wastes.

Some companies, such as BioSystems, provide sharps management and disposal with special re-usable containers in an effort to reduce landfill waste, increase safety and help hospitals and clinics save money by cutting the cost of expensive one use containers.

Bloodborne Pathogens From Wikipedia

For more detailed Bloodborne Pathogen, Bloodborne Disease & Sharps Waste information see Blood-borne disease on Wikipedia.