Chapter 3 Infectious Diseases

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. 1 Terms  Contagious or communicable: Diseases transmitted by human contact.  Non-communicable: Cannot be transmitted directly from person to person.  Endemic: Occurs at low levels in a population.  Epidemic: Occurs in unusually large numbers over a specific area.

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. 2 Infectious Agents and Pathenogenic Microorganisms  Viruses  Bacteria  Protozoa  Fungi  Helminths (parasitic worms)  Nosocomial infections: Hospital acquired infections.

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. 3 Occupational Exposure and Prevention  How Exposed:  Wet hands  Coughs  Needles  Surface of money, paper, etc.  Prevention:  Wash hands in warm soapy water  Dry hands thoroughly, turn off water with paper towel  Extra care with needles, sharp objects

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. 4 Common Childhood Preventable Infectious Diseases  Measles (rubeola)  Signs and symptoms: fever, cough, runny nose, fatigue, then rash.  Mumps  Signs and symptoms: fever, headache, loss of appetite, swelling and pain in the parotid glands (neck).  German Measles (rubella)  Signs and symptoms: None at first, then rash, in teens and adults – headache, loss of appetite, inflammation of eyelids, painful joints.

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. 5  Chickenpox  Signs and symptoms: runny or stuffy nose, fever, sneezing, cough, then itchy rash.  Whooping Cough  Signs and symptoms: runny nose, sneezing, mild cough, low-grade fever, coughing spells ending with whooping sound.  Tetanus  Signs and symptoms: low-grade fever, sore throat, stiff neck, lock jaw, muscle spasms and difficulty swallowing. Common Childhood Preventable Infectious Diseases