Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease caused by hepatitis A virus, which produces inflammation and necrosis of the liver. The virus transmission is fecal-oral route, by ingesting contaminated food and water or directly from one person to another. A person infected with the virus may or may not develop the disease. The transmission is common among children who have not yet learned notions of hygiene, among those living in the same household or are sexual partners of infected people. Ten days after a person is infected or not develop disease symptoms, the virus becomes eliminated in the feces for approximately three weeks. The period of increased risk of transmission is from one to two weeks before the appearance of symptoms. Transmission can occur through ingestion of water and food contaminated by infected people who do not obey rules of hygiene such as washing hands after using toilets. The manifestations, when present, may occur 15 to 50 days (30 in average) after contact with the virus of hepatitis A (incubation period). The onset is sudden, often with fever, fatigue, malaise, loss of appetite, feeling of discomfort in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting. Often pronounced aversion to cigarette smoke. Diarrhea may occur, most common in children (60%) than in adults (20%). After some days, can appear jaundice (yellowing of eyes) in approximately 25% of infants and 60% of adults. The stool may then turn yellow-white (like putty) and urine reddish-brown color. The disease usually not more than two months. In about 15% of people, the symptoms may persist discreetly for up to six months, with eventual reappearance of symptoms. The recovery is complete, the virus is completely removed from the body. Hepatitis A has no specific treatment. Therapeutic measures aimed at reducing the discomfort of symptoms. In the early period of the disease may be indicated relative rest, and return to activity should be gradual. Alcohol should be abolished. Food can be eaten according to appetite and acceptance of the person, with no need for diets.
Treatment
Do not turn chronic and usually cured naturally.
Prevention
Vaccine exists but is not distributed. Then, wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before cooking.

Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis, also called "river blindness" or "harm prospector", is a parasitic disease caused by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus
Treatment
The lumps of adult parasites are identified by imaging techniques (computed tomography or ultrasound) or by microscopic analysis of biopsy sample. The microfilariae are detected in skin biopsies, as often seen directly by observation of the eye with an ophthalmoscope. There is also a technique for detection of the parasite DNA by PCR.
Treatment is with ivermectin against microfilariae, but is not very effective against the adult worm. Used surgical removal of nodules adults. The microfilariae were formerly treated with antiparasitic, which are still used in prevention in endemic areas. However, the discovery that the microfilariae are dependent rickettsiae bacterial endosymbionts existing within their bodies led to the development of therapy with the antibiotic doxycycline, which is now preferable for its lower side effects.
Prevention
The use of clothing that cover most of the skin is desirable, as well as insect repellents and networks. However the eradication of mosquitoes with insecticides is the only long-term measure, and has been practiced in WHO programs in endemic sites, as well as mass drug administration antiparasitic the populations, with good results. Until a few years ago, governments tried to advise people to beware of mosquitoes from the river, but this campaign has led many to abandon the fertile irrigated land and seek other less productive where they often went hungry.

Filariasis

The filariasis or Filariasis is a parasitic disease, considered as infectious tropical disease caused by filarial nematodes of the superfamily Filarioidea, also known as filariae. The symptomatic form of the disease is most peculiar lymphatic filariasis, elephantiasis called - a thickening of the skin and underlying tissues - which was the first among infectious diseases transmitted by insects, to be discovered.
There are nine known filarial nematodes which use humans as definitive hosts. They are divided into three groups according to the niche which they occupy inside the body:
• Lymphatic Filariasis
• subcutaneous filariasis
• serous cavity filariasis.
Lymphatic filariasis is caused by the worms Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. These filariae occupy the lymphatic system, including the lymph nodes, causing lymphedema and chronic cases, leading to the disease known as elephantiasis.
Subcutaneous filariasis is caused by loa loa (the "Maggot Eye"), Mansonella streptocerca, Onchocerca volvulus and Dracunculus medinensis (the "Guinea worm"). These worms occupy the subcutaneous fat layer.
The serous cavity filariasis is caused by worms and Mansonella ozzardi Mansonella perstans, which occupy the serous cavity of the abdomen.
In all cases, the transmission vectors are bloodsucking insects (mosquitoes and flies), or crustacean copepod in the case of Dracunculus medinens
Treatment
The antiparasitic used is diethylcarbamazine (DEC) which eliminates the microfilariae and adult worm. One can resort to reconstructive surgery in cases of elephantiasis (chronic phase).
It is important to treat secondary infections. This disease is also known as tibirius malarius malariosas esterna.
Prevention
There is a WHO program that seeks to eliminate the disease with drugs administered as prevention and insecticides. It is helpful to wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible, insect repellents and bed nets with protected waters and avoid downtime.

Leprosy

Leprosy, leprosy, morphea, Hansen's disease or poorly Lazarus is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae (also known as bacillus-of-hansen) that affects the skin and nerves and causing severe damage. The name is due to leprosy discoverer of the organism causing the disease Gerhard Hansen. Leprosy The term was introduced in Brazil by Professor of the Federal University of São Paulo, Abraham Rotberg. It's called "the world's oldest disease", affecting mankind for at least 4000 years and being the first known written records found in Egypt, dating back to 1350 BC It is endemic (unique to a region) in some tropical countries, in particularly in Asia. Brazil is included among the countries with medium endemicity of leprosy in the world. This means prevalence has a coefficient average of more than one event per thousand (given outdated) (MS, 1989). Patients are called lepers, although this term tends to disappear with the decrease in the number of cases and given the pejorative connotation associated with it. [Citation needed]
Leprosy is a contagious disease that is a sick person who is not in treatment to another. Delay of 2 to 5 years, often for the first symptoms appear. The leprosy patient has signs and neurological and dermatological symptoms that facilitate the diagnosis. Can affect children, adults and seniors of all social classes, provided they have an intense and prolonged contact with bacillus. It can cause disability or deformity, when left untreated or treated late, but curable. Treatment is usually provided by public health systems (such as the Brazilian Unified Health System).
Treatment
Today, leprosy is treated with antibiotics and public health efforts are made for early diagnosis and treatment of patients, and prosthetic patients who had healed and to prevent deformation and mainly aimed at preventing the spread. Treatment is mainly outpatient.
Although not deadly, leprosy can cause severe disability and / or permanent if not treated in time. The treatment involves various antibiotics in order to avoid selecting resistant bacteria germ. The WHO has recommended since 1981 a multidrug therapy (MDT) comprised of three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. This association destroys the pathogen and cures the patient. The treatment time ranges between 6 and 24 months depending on the severity of disease.
When lesions are already established, treatment is based, beyond polychemotherapy in prostheses, orthopedic interventions in special shoes, etc.. Moreover, a major contribution to the prevention and treatment of disabilities caused by leprosy is physiotherapy.
Also in Brazil, the NGO's MORHAN doing work against prejudice and helping people with the disease.
Prevention
Prevention is through the application of the BCG vaccine, the same used for tuberculosis. Remember that BCG is not fully effective and serves only as a preventive treatment. Doctors also advise that people who live in daily contact with patients of the disease do examinations annually for at least 5 years after the last contact with the infected person, this is especially true for children.
Furthermore an important weapon to prevent the disease is to know the symptoms and how to diagnose the disease. The sooner we know the disease sooner treatment begins and the chances of sequels diminish greatly.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis - formerly called the "Gray Death", and also known in Portuguese as pulmonary phthisis or "breast disease" - is an infectious disease longest documented since that date and continues to afflict humanity today. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as bacillus-of-koch. It is estimated that bacterium has evolved 40,000 years ago, from other bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium.
Tuberculosis is a disease considered socially determined, because its occurrence is directly related to how they organize the processes of production and social reproduction, as well as the implementation of policies to control the disease. The processes of production and reproduction are directly related to the way of life and work of the individual.
Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common and widespread disease. However, the tuberculosis bacillus may also affect other areas of our body, for example, larynx, bones and joints, the skin (lupus vulgaris), the lymphatic ganglia (escrófulo), intestines, kidneys and nervous system . Miliary tuberculosis is an infection spread to various parts of the body via blood. This type of tuberculosis may reach the meninges (membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), causing serious infections called "tuberculous meningitis". [5] [6]
In several countries there was the idea that by 2010 the disease was controlled and virtually nonexistent. However, the advent of HIV and AIDS have dramatically changed this perspective. In 1993, due to the number of cases of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency and proposed the DOTS (Directly Supervised Treatment) as a strategy to control the disease. [Citation needed]
Treatment
Persons infected with tuberculosis (class 2 or 4), but does not have the disease (as in classes 3 or 5) do not spread the infection to other people. Tuberculosis infection in a person who has the disease is not considered a case of tuberculosis and is usually reported as a latent TB infection. This distinction is important because treatment options are different for those with latent infection and for those with active disease.
Prevention
Immunization with BCG is between 50% and 80% of disease resistance. In tropical areas where the incidence of atypical Mycobacterium is high (exposure to some "Mycobacteria" not transmitting TB gives some protection against TB), the efficacy of BCG is much smaller. UK teenagers 15 years are usually vaccinated during school.