INFECTIOUS DISEASES

HC 101 | Community and Public Health for Medical Laboratory Science

LECTURE | Danilo Gallardo Jr.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES CHICKENPOX

• Acute Respiratory Infection Cause
• Chicken Pox • Varicella virus
• Cholera Mode of Transmission
• Dengue • Easily passed between members of families
• Diarrhea and school mates through:
• Ebola • airborne particles
• Hepatitis A • droplets in exhaled air
• Hepatitis B • fluid from the blisters or sores
• Hepatitis C • Patients are contagious 5 days before and 5
• HIV/AIDS days after the appearance of rashes/ blisters.•
• Influenza Signs and Symptoms
• Malaria • Appearance of reddish skin lesions, which later
• Measles become blisters (vesicles) on the third to fourth
• Rabies day of fever
• Sore Eyes • Weakness
• Tuberculosis • Muscle and joint pains
• Typhoid Fever • Sudden onset of fever
Treatment
ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION • Chickenpox rashes will disappear within 1-2
• Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a leading weeks even without treatment.
cause of death in children under the age of 5 in • Give sponge bath or continuous cold compress
developing countries. on the head for fever.
• Pneumonia is the most serious of these • Warm shower or warm sponge bath daily is
infections but often can be treated with advisable. Do not rub the lesions.
affordable antibiotics. • Give plenty of fruit juices and water to patient
Cause during waking hours.
• Multiple types of virus and bacteria Prevention and Control
Mode of Transmission • Avoid crowded areas during epidemics.
• Person-to-person by coughing, sneezing, or • Isolate the patient in a room, if possible, to
speaking prevent the spread of the disease to other
Signs and Symptoms members of the family.
• Vaccine is available as precautionary measure
• Cough accompanied by short rapid breathing
and as per doctor’s advice.
• Fever
• Difficulty of breathing CHOLERA
Treatment • Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused
• If antibiotic is needed, health workers must be by ingestion of food or
consulted. • water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio
• Supportive measures include increased oral cholerae.
fluids to prevent dehydration, continued • Incubation period: from less than 1 day to 5
feeding to avoid malnutrition and anti-pyretics days.
to reduce high fever. • The bacterium produces an enterotoxin that
Prevention and Control causes a copious, painless,
• Consult health professionals for available • watery diarrhea that can quickly lead to severe
vaccines that help prevent ARI. dehydration and death if
• Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective • treatment is not promptly given.
preventive tools available and in recent years, • A healthy individual may die within 2-3 hours if
meaningful progress has been made in using no treatment is provided.
them to reduce ARI. Cause
• Vibrio cholerae bacteria Cholera

GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C

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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Mode of Transmission • Joint and muscle pain and pain behind the eyes
• Eating food or drinking water contaminated • Weakness
with human waste infected with Vibrio cholerae • Skin rashes
bacteria • Nose bleeding when fever starts to subside
Signs and Symptoms • Abdominal pain
• Sudden onset of frequent painless watery • Vomiting of coffee-colored matter
stools • Dark-colored stools
• Vomiting • Difficulty of breathing
• Rapid dehydration (e.g., sunken eyeballs, Treatment
wrinkled and dry skin) • Do not give aspirin for fever.
Treatment • Give sufficient amount of water or
• Replace lost body fluid by giving Oral • Rehydrate a dengue suspect.
Rehydration Solution (ORESOL) or a • If fever or symptoms persist for 2 or more days,
homemade solution composed of: bring the patient to
- 1 teaspoon of salt • the nearest hospital.
- 4 teaspoons of sugar Prevention and Control
- 1 liter of water • Follow the 4-S against Dengue:
• If diarrhea persists, consult health workers or 1. Search and Destroy
bring the patient to the nearest hospital. Þ Cover water drums and pails.
Prevention and Control Þ Replace water in flower vases once
• Drink only safe and clean water. a week.
• If unsure, boil drinking water (Upon reaching Þ Clean gutters of leaves and debris.
boiling point, extend boiling for 3 or more Þ Collect and dispose all unusable tin
minutes). Or do water chlorination. cans, jars, bottles and other items
• Keep food away from insects and rats by that can collect and hold water.
covering it. 2. Self-Protection Measures
• Wash and cook food properly. Þ Wear long pants and long
• Dispose of human waste properly. sleeved shirt.
• Use toilet properly and clean toilet every day. Þ Use mosquito repellant every
Wash hands with soap and water after using day.
toilet and before eating. 3. Seek Early Consultation
• Keep surroundings clean to prevent flies and Þ Consult the doctors
other insects and rodents from breeding. immediately if fever persists
• A WHO pre-qualified oral cholera vaccine is after 2 days and rashes
available for travelers and people in endemic appears.
areas. It is given in two doses and offers 4. Say Yes to Fogging When There is
protection for 3 years. an Impending Outbreak or a Hotspot
DENGUE DIARRHEA
• Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever • Diarrhea is an increase in the frequency of
are acute viral infections that affect infants, loose or liquid bowel movements.
young children, and adults. Cause
Cause • It is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal
• Bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with infection, which can be caused by a variety of
any one of the four dengue viruses bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms.
Mode of Transmission Mode of Transmission
• Transmitted by a day-biting mosquito called • Ingestion of contaminated food and water
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Signs and Symptoms
• These mosquitoes lay eggs in clear and
• Passage of watery stools at least 3 times a day
stagnant water found in flower vases, cans,
• Excessive thirst
rain barrels, old rubber tires, etc.
• The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the • Sunken eyeballs
house. • Sunken fontanel in infants
Signs and Symptoms Treatment
• Sudden onset of high fever which may last from • Give Oral Rehydration Solution (ORESOL) or
2 to 7 days. rice soup (am) to replace lost body fluid.
GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C
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Prevention and Control

• Drink water only from safe sources. If
unsure, boil water for 3 minutes or do water
chlorination.
• Eat only foods that are well cooked and
properly prepared.
• Avoid eating street-vended food.
• Keep food away from insects and rats by
covering them.
• Wash fruits and vegetables with clean
water before eating or cooking.
• Use toilet when defecating. Treatment
• Wash hands before eating and after using • There is no standard treatment.
the toilet.

EBOLA Prevention and Control

• The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae • Wear protective clothing, such as masks,
family (filovirus) and is comprised of five gloves, gowns, and goggles.
distinct species: • Use infection-control measures, including
- Zaïre complete equipment sterilization; and isolate
- Sudan patients from contact with unprotected
- Côte d’Ivoire persons.
- Bundibugyo • The aim of all of these techniques is to avoid
- Reston. any person’s contact with the blood or
• Subtypes Zaire, Sudan, and Ivory Coast can secretions of any patient. If a patient with Ebola
cause hemorrhagic symptoms; Reston does HF dies, it is equally important that direct
not. contact with the body of the deceased patient
• Reston was previously found among Philippine be prevented.
monkeys. The virus was found in sick pigs in
the Philippines. Ebola Reston has not caused HEPATITIS A
illness to humans to date but Ebola has. • Hepatitis A, one of the oldest diseases known
to humankind, is a very infectious viral disease.
Cause
• Ebola virus subtype Reston
Mode of Transmission
• Direct contact with the blood, secretions,
organs or other body fluids of infected persons.
Signs and Symptoms
• Sudden onset of fever
• Intense weakness
• Muscle pain Cause
• Headache • Hepatitis A virus (HAV)
• Sore throat Mode of Transmission
• Vomiting • Ingestion of food contaminated with human
• Diarrhea waste and urine of persons who have Hepatitis
• Meninggococcemia A
• Rash • Fever
• Impaired kidney and liver • Flu-like symptoms: weakness, muscle and joint
• function aches, loss of appetite, dizziness
• Internal and external bleeding • With or without vomiting
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Abdominal discomfort (pain in the liver area)
• Dark/brownish urine
• Jaundice
GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C
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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Symptoms may be so mild that they go and at 6 months) or at birth, 4 weeks, and 8
unnoticed. Symptoms usually develop between weeks old.
2 and 6 weeks after infection. • Hepatitis B immunoglobin is given in addition to
Treatment the birth dose of
• There is no specific medicine to cure the • Hepatitis B vaccine to newborns delivered from
patient or shorten the course of illness. mothers who are known to Hepatitis B surface
• Sick persons should be isolated, advised to antigen reactive.
rest, take plenty of fluids, and avoid fatty foods. • Use of safe/clean injection and
• Patients who fail to take fluids or are too weak equipment/supplies
to eat are sometimes brought to hospital for • Vaccination of adults in high-risk settings such
intravenous administration of fluids and as healthcare workers and those with multiple
vitamins. partners practicing unprotected sex such as
Prevention and Control men having sex with other men and prostituted
• Wash hands after using the toilet, before women
preparing food, and before eating. • Correct and consistent use of condoms
• Dispose human waste properly.
• Thoroughly cook oysters, clams, and other HEPATITIS C
shellfish for 4 minutes or • Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver. Most
• steam for 1 minute and 30 seconds. people who are infected with
• Practice safe handling and storage of food and • hepatitis C do not have any symptoms for
water. years.
• Get Hepatitis A vaccine. • The virus stays in the liver and causes chronic
liver inflammation, cirrhosis,
HEPATITIS B • or liver cancer.
• Hepatitis B is a viral disease which can be Cause
acute or chronic liver disease. • Hepatitis C virus
• Chronic hepatitis B infection may lead to liver Mode of Transmission
cancer. • Usually spreads through contact with blood
• Hepatitis B may also lead to the following products, like accidentally
complications: • being stuck with a dirty (used) needle, using IV
- Chronic hepatitis drugs and
- Cirrhosis • sharing needles, or getting blood before 1992
- Liver failure Treatment
- Liver cancer • Medicines, such as interferon and ribavirin, do
Cause not cure hepatitis C, but they do make people
• B type of Hepatitis virus Hepatitis B feel better and they may prevent future liver
Mode of Transmission problems.
• May be spread through the following: Prevention
- From mother to child during birth; • Use a condom during sexual activity to protect
- Through blood transfusion; yourself and your partner from contracting
- Through sharing of unsterilized needles, Hepatitis C.
knives, or razors; and • Do not share injecting device/ paraphernalia
- Through sexual intercourse. with anyone.
• Wear gloves if you have to touch anyone’s
Signs and Symptoms blood.
• Weakness • Do not use an infected person’s toothbrush,
• Stomach upset razor, or anything else that could have blood on
• Dark urine or very pale stools it.
• Jaundice • Make sure any tattooing or body piercing is
Treatment done with clean tools.
• None • There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. HIV/ AIDS
Prevention • AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency
• Immunization of infants with 3 doses of Syndrome is a chronic, sexually transmitted
Hepatitis B vaccine at preferably using 0, 1, disease. Acquired means that the disease is
and 6 months regimen (at birth, 1 month old, not hereditary but it develops after birth from
GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C
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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
contact with a disease-causing agent (in this - Muscle soreness
case, HIV). - Night sweats
• Immunodeficiency means that the virus - Rash
weakens the immune system, causing the - Diarrhea
body’s inability to fight diseases. - Headache
• Syndrome refers to a group of symptoms that - Sore throat
indicate or characterize a disease. - Mouth or genital ulcers
- Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the
HIV/ AIDS neck
Treatment
• There is no cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are
medications that can slow down the
progression of the disease.
Prevention
• Have sexual intercourse only within a long-
term, mutually monogamous relationship with
an uninfected partner.
• Use male latex condoms.
• Use clean needle.

INFLUENZA
CAUSE • Influenza, commonly called the flu, is a viral
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that attacks the respiratory system.
Mode of Transmission Young children, older adults, pregnant women,
• Spreads primarily by: and people who have weakened immune
• Having unprotected sex with a person who has system are highly susceptible to flu.
HIV • Incubation period is 1-3 days.
• Having multiple sex partners or the presence of Cause
other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) • Influenza virus (A, B, or C)
that can increase the risk of infection during sex Mode of Transmission
• Sharing needles, syringes, rinse water, or other • Entry of the Influenza virus (A, B, or C) into the
equipment used to prepare illicit drugs for respiratory tract when someone coughs or
injection sneezes
• Being born to an infected mother (HIV can be • Contact with the surfaces, material, and
passed from mother to child during pregnancy, clothing contaminated with discharges of an
birth, or breastfeeding.) infected person
Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms
• Early symptomatic infection: • Fever of at least 38°C
• Headache
• Fever
• Runny nose, sore throat, cough, or other
• Fatigue
respiratory manifestations
• Swollen lymph nodes • May or may not have muscle or joint pains
• Diarrhea Treatment
• Weight loss • Use of antiviral agents, such as oseltamivir
• Cough (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza), within the first
• Shortness of breath 2 days may shorten the illness and help
Signs and Symptoms prevent serious complications.
• Primary infection (flu-like illness) occurs 3-6 • Have adequate rest.
weeks after acquiring infection in almost 50% • Increase intake of oral fluids and nutritious
of newly infected people: foods.
- Fever • Take paracetamol for fever. Aspirin should not
- Joint pain be given to children.
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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Antibiotics should be given only to • Wear long- sleeved clothing and pants.
complications of influenza, such as pneumonia • Use mosquito repellants/coils and screens on
or otitis media. doors and windows.
Prevention • Clear hanging branches of trees along
• Give influenza vaccination preferably annually. streams.
• Minimize contact with a person who has • Have your blood examined if you have the
influenza. signs and symptoms of malaria.
• Avoid crowded places. • Follow the advice of health workers on how to
• Distance yourself by at least 1 meter from take anti-malaria drugs.
people who are coughing or have influenza.
• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or MEASLES
coughing to prevent spread of the virus. • Measles is a highly contagious respiratory
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water. disease caused by a virus.

MALARIA
• Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal
disease caused by a parasite that commonly
infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds
on humans.
• Although malaria can be a deadly disease,
illness and death from malaria can usually be
prevented.

Cause
• Protozoan parasite called Plasmodium (In the
Philippines, there are four main species of
malaria-causing Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P.
vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale. Infection with
P. knowlesi has also been identified in the
province of Palawan in 2010.) Cause
Mode of Transmission • A virus in the paramyxovirus family, which
• Transmitted through the bite of an infected normally grows in the cells that line the back of
female Anopheles sp. mosquito, which usually the throat and lungs
bites during nighttime. Mode of Transmission
Signs and Symptoms • Easily spreads from person-to-person by
• Chills sneezing, coughing, and close personal
• High-grade fever contact
• Severe headache
• Vomiting
Treatment Signs and Symptoms
• Uncomplicated P. falciparum • Cough
- First-Line: Artemether-Lumefantrine + • Runny nose
Primaquine • Red eyes/ conjunctivitis
- Second-Line: Quinine Sulfate • Fever
+Doxycycline/Tetracycline/Clindamyci • Blotchy rash lasting for more than 3 days
n Complications
• Complicated P. falciparum: Quinine • Diarrhea
Dihydrochloride Infusion + Doxycycline/ • Encephalitis
Tetracycline/Clindamycin • Otitis media (middle ear infection)
• Plasmodium vicax or Plasmodium ovale: • Malnutrition
Chloroquine + Primaquine • Pneumonia
• Plasmodium malariae: Chloroquine + • Blindness
Primaquine Treatment
Prevention and Control • Nutritional support and oral rehydration are
• Use long- lasting insecticidal mosquito nets, important to increase body resistance and
especially during nighttime.
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replace lost body fluids caused by coughing, - Dog dies within observation period.
diarrhea, and perspiration. Treatment (When Bitten by a Dog)
• Take antibiotics as prescribed by physician to • If dog cannot be observed (stray dog), or if
treat infections. suspected to be rabid, consult your physician
• Give supplementation to infants and children immediately or go to the nearest Animal Bite
diagnosed with measles. Treatment Center in your area.
Prevention Prevention and Control
• Immunize infants with measles vaccine at 9 • Be a responsible pet owner
months old. - Have your pet dog immunized by a
• Give Vitamin A supplementation during routine veterinarian against rabies at 3 months
measles vaccination. old and every year thereafter.
- Never allow your pet dog to roam the
RABIES streets.
• Rabies is a deadly viral infection that is mainly - Take care of your pet dog: bathe it; give
spread by infected animals. it clean food; and provide clean
sleeping quarters.
• As an individual
- Get yourself pre-exposure anti-rabies
vaccine, especially if you have a high-
risk occupation.

SORE EYES
• Also known as conjunctivitis, sore eyes is
manifested in redness and inflammation of the
membranes (conjunctiva) covering the whites
of the eyes and the membranes in the inner
part of the eyelids.
• Incubation period or time from exposure to
onset of symptoms is usually 5-12 days.

Cause
• Rabies virus
Mode of Transmission
• Close contact with infected saliva (rabies virus)
via bites or scratches
• from rabid animals, like dogs
Signs and Symptoms
• Headache and fever
• Pain or numbness of bite site
• Delirium and paralysis
• Muscle spasms
• Hydrophobia and aerophobia
Treatment (When Bitten by a Dog)
• Wash the wound immediately with soap and Causes
running water. • Virus infection (Adenoviruses)
• Consult immediately even while observing the • Chemicals
dog. • Trauma
• Observe the dog for 14 days and consult your Mode of Transmission
physician if any of the following occurs: • Direct contact with hands contaminated with
- Dog becomes wild and runs aimlessly. eye secretions of an infected person; touching
- Dog drools (saliva). eyes with hands getting in contact with
- Dog bites any moving or non-moving surfaces, instruments, eye solutions, or make-
object. ups contaminated with the virus from an
- Dog does not eat or drink. infected person; and entry of the virus through
GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C
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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
the eyes by swimming in poorly chlorinated • Chest or back pain not referable to other
pools diseases
Signs and Symptoms • Loss of weight
• Begins in one eye and may later affect both • Blood-streaked sputum or hemoptysis
eyes Treatment
• Watery to pus-like discharge • Latent TB (TB infection): INH for children 5
• Redness of the eye with pain and/or itching years old and below only
sensation • Active TB: INH in combination with one or more
• Eyelids that are stuck together upon waking up of several drugs, including rifampin (Rifadin),
• In severe cases, pain of the eyes upon ethambutol (Myambutol), pyrazinamide, and
exposure to sunlight and foreign-body solution streptomycin for 6-8 months
Treatment Prevention
• There is no specific treatment during the acute • Health Professional:
phase (1-2 weeks). • Find the TB patient early and provide treatment
• If eye discharge is profuse and pus-like or through DOT (directly observed treatment) to
patient develops blurring of vision or severe cure the patient.
pain, consult with an ophthalmologist. • Individual:
Prevention • Adopt a healthy lifestyle to boost the immune
• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with system.
soap and water. - Engage in physical activity or exercise
• Minimize hand-to-eye contact. regularly.
• Use only own towels, eye drops, make-ups and - Get enough rest.
applicators, sunglasses, or eye glasses. - Eat a balanced diet.
• Wear eye/sunglasses on windy days to protect - Keep the living area well ventilated.
one’s eyes from foreign particles. - Maintain personal hygiene.
• Avoid crowded places. - Cover the nose and mouth when
• Disinfect with dilute bleach solution surfaces, coughing and sneezing.
doorknobs, counters, elevator buttons, and
handrails. TYPHOID FEVER
• Wash clothes, towels, pillow cases, and • Typhoid fever is an infectious disease which is
anything else which may have come in contact also known as enteric fever or just typhoid.
with an infected person. Cause
• Salmonella typhi bacteria
TUBERCULOSIS Mode of Transmission
• Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that • Spreads through contaminated food and water
primarily affects the lungs and this condition is or through close
known as pulmonary tuberculosis. • contact with someone who is infected
• Other parts of the body may also be affected by Signs and Symptoms
tuberculosis; this is known as extra-pulmonary • Sustained high fever
tuberculosis. It may affect the bones, • Headache
meninges, joints, genitourinary tract, intestines, • Malaise (weakness)
liver, kidneys, and the heart. • Anorexia (loss of appetite)
Cause • Either diarrhea or constipation
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis or tubercle bacilli • Abdominal discomfort
Mode of Transmission Treatment
• Inhalation of bacteria released from air droplets • Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, may be given
when a person with TB coughs or sneezes to adults.
- Generally, the bacteria will be killed in - Ceftriaxone (injectable antibiotic) may
5 minutes after direct exposure to be given to pregnant women and
sunlight but these bacteria can survive children.
for up to 1 year in a dark, moist, and Prevention and Control
poorly ventilated area. • Avoid drinking untreated water. Boil water for
Signs and Symptoms drinking (upon reaching boiling point, extend
• Cough for two weeks or more boiling for 2 or more minutes) or do water
• Fever chlorination.

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 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Cook food well and always cover food to
prevent contamination from flies and other
insects.
• Avoid eating unsanitary street-vended foods.
• Wash hands with soap and water after using
the toilet and before eating.
• Keep surroundings clean to prevent breeding
of flies.
• Get immunized with WHO pre-qualified oral
injectable vaccines.

OROMUCOSAL LESIONS
• Koplik Spots (Measles/Rubeola)
- Little spots inside the mouth that are RABIES POST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS
highly characteristic of the early phase • Inactivated Purified Rabies Vaccine
of measles (rubeola) - Can be given in 1 site intramuscularly
- They are found especially on the inside on DAYS 0, 3, 7, 14 & 28 (Five Dose
of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) Regimen)
opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars.

• Forchheimer Spots (German

Measles/Rubella)
- small, red spots (petechiae) on the soft
palate in 20% of patients with rubella TOURNIQUET TEST/RUMPEL-LEEDE
- Pathognomonic sign of Rubella CAPILLARY FRAGILITY TEST
infection • A tourniquet test determines capillary fragility.
- It is a clinical diagnostic method to
determine a patient's hemorrhagic
tendency.
- It assesses fragility of capillary walls
and is used to identify
thrombocytopenia.
- The test is part of the WHO algorithm
for diagnosis of dengue fever
- can be used as a method to diagnose
patients who are probably infected with
Dengue
• AKA: Rumpel-Leede Capillary-Fragility test
determines capillary fragility
• Bp cuff is inflated to a point between the
systolic and diastolic bp for 5min
• (+): 10 or more petechiae per square inch. In
DHF the test usually gives a definite positive
TUBERCULOSIS result with 20 petechiae or more
• Etiologic agent:
- mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Aka koch’s infection
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES

GENEVA BAYONA | BSMT 1-C

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