Populations at the highest risk for TB

Children under five, people with an HIV infection, the immunocompromised, people who were recently exposed, and people with certain medical conditions. If you think you may have TB, see your health care provider for testing. 

Prevention

1. Limit contact with active TB patients.

2. Promptly detect active cases.

3. Seek proper treatment and patient care.

4. Maintain adequate ventilation in enclosed spaces.

Treatment

Many strains of TB are classified as drug resistant and require special medications. Accounting for this, active TB patients often have to take a series of medications for numerous months to eradicate the infection and prevent reinfection. Treatment includes:

1. Regimental antibiotic drugs (for 6 months to 12 months)

2. Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB may require special TB drugs.

Completion of entire treatment cycle is vital to eradicate and prevent reinfection.

Bacterial meningitis

Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can be caused by various pathogens with the majority being either a bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding these areas.

Bacterial meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is transmitted through the direct exchange of respiratory or throat secretions such as coughing, kissing, or sharing unwashed eating/drinking utensils and can cause life-threatening infections that need immediate medical attention.

Symptoms

Symptoms of meningitis include fever greater than 101° F, sudden and severe headache, mental changes and confusion, neck and back stiffness, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, and rash.

Prevention

The most effective way to protect against certain types of bacterial meningitis is to complete the recommended vaccine schedule. There are vaccines for three types of bacteria that can cause meningitis including, Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

There are no vaccines to protect against non-polio enteroviruses, which are the most common cause of viral meningitis. However there are steps you can take to lower your risk of infection. These include:

1. Washing your hands, with soap and water, frequently.

2. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

3. Avoid close contact such as kissing, hugging, or sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.

4. Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, not your hands.

5. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.

6. Stay home when you are sick.

Treatment

Bacterial meningitis can be treated effectively with antibiotics and vaccines exist to prevent some kinds of bacterial meningitis. It is important that treatment be started as soon as possible. Appropriate antibiotic treatment of the most common types of bacterial meningitis should reduce the risk of dying from meningitis to below 15 percent, although the risk remains higher among young infants and the elderly.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is characterized by loose, watery stools or a frequent need to have a bowel movement. It usually lasts a few days and often disappears without any treatment. Diarrhea can be acute or chronic.

Cause of Diarrhea

1. Touching food with dirty hands

2. Drinking dirty water

3. Using dirty cooking and eating utensils

4. Using dirty feeding bottles and tests to feed babies

5. Allowing flies, dust and dirt to get into food

6. Breastfeeding mothers who do not wash their hands after visiting toilets can transfer infection to their children (faeco-oral)

7. Unsanitary faecal disposal can cause diarrhea

8. Allergy to certain food (sea food e.g. Cray fish)

Signs and symptoms

Nausea, Abdominal pain, Cramping, Bloating, Dehydration, fever, Bloody stools, frequent urge to evacuate your bowels and large volume of stools

Prevention

1. Washing of hands before and after meals

2. Washing of hands after visiting toilets

3. Washing cooking and eating utensils

4. Cover all foods

Management

Diarrhea with less than 15 stool per day, prepare prepare salt sugar solution. Diarrhea with mucus and blood in stool, cotrimoxazole tabs tds x 5/7. If there is no improvement metronidazole tabs tds x 5/7. Diarrhea with headache, cough and fever, treat typhoid. In acute profused diarrhea with vomiting and severe dehydration, give IV ringer lactate tetracycline 500mg ads x 5/7

Cholera

Cholera is an infectious disease of a rapid onset characteristized by vomiting, profused dehydration, diarrhea with rice like stool and shock.