Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance - Case Study Example

Topic: Pathogenic Microbe Assignment 4th December Syphilis Syphilis is a sexual transmitted disease caused by bacterium the bacterium Treponema pallidum. The disease is transmitted via sexual contact with infected individuals. Infected individuals especially those at the latent stage are the reservoirs for the bacterium. The disease may be spread through skin contact with infected individuals or even through contact with mucous membranes of the anus, mouth, lips and genital organs. Congenital syphilis is also possible during pregnancy where an infected mother may pass the bacteria to the unborn baby. Syphilis exhibits the symptoms of most diseases such as HIV. Except for the congenital syphilis, syphilis occurs in four distinct stages. In the initial primary stage, there is formation of a sore which is a small, round and firm referred as chancre that occurs at the site of infection. Chancre usually occurs 21-90 days after infection. The ulcer usually disappears and secondary syphilis sets in. This is evidenced by skin rash which do not itch at soles and palms. Symptoms associated with secondary stage syphilis include headache, swollen lymph glands, sore throat and tiredness. In the latent syphilis no symptoms are evident and the disease progresses to the tertiary stage. Failure to treat syphilis may lead to the complicated tertiary stage which affects almost all organs of the body including the brain, nervous system and heart. Late syphilis presents with mental illness and neurological failures. The diagnosis of syphilis maybe by examination of a chancre by a health worker and laboratory tests confirmation for the disease. Antibiotics especially penicillin are used in treatment of syphilis especially at the primary stages. Syphilis that has affected the neural system may be treated by intravenous injection of penicillin. Prevention of the disease is by avoiding contact (sexual contact) with infected individual and avoiding sex partners. Protected sex may also minimize chances of infection (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 1). Gonorrhea The bacterium Nesseria gonorrhoeae infects the potential victim through the genital tract, mouth and rectum. Transmission of this bacterial disease is through sexual intercourse with an infected partner oral, anal or vaginal. The bacterium has its reservoir in infected humans. Symptoms of this STD include discharge in both men and women though some infected individuals may not present with any symptoms. These symptoms are evident after 2-10 days after sexual intercourse with an infected individual. In women possible symptoms of gonorrhea include a burning sensation during urination, bloody vaginal discharge and bleeding during vaginal intercourse. In men, painful yellow or green pus from the penis is an indicator of gonorrhoeae. Testicles may be swollen and painful and there is a burning sensation during urination. If untreated, gonorrhoeae may proceed to infect the reproductive tract and bloodstream. This may result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which usually appears after the monthly periods (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 1). In the case of PID, a scar may be formed in the fallopian tube leading to a risk of ectopic pregnancy. In men, complication occurs when there is gonococcal epididymitis which if unattended may lead to possible infertility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1), gonorrhea is not relatively rampant in the United States with 100 cases occurring per 100, 000 population. Administration of antibiotics is enough for the treatment of gonorrhoeae at the early stages. As with other sexually transmitted diseases, prevention of gonorrhoeae is through abstinence from sexual contact with infected individuals. Appropriate use of condoms may lower the risks of vaginal and rectal infections. However, it should be noted that treatment of gonorrhea is proving cumbersome as resistance strains of Nesseria gonorrhoeae emerge. Viral Hepatitis Hepatitis simply means the inflammation of the liver and may be as a result of viral infections. Essentially, there are five types of hepatitis A, B C, D and E. In hepatitis A, the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) replicates in the victim’s liver and they are shed every two weeks in faeces thereby making Hepatitis A, a self-limiting disease where there is no accumulation of the virus in the liver and thus rules out the chances of a chronic infection with HAV. Symptoms of hepatitis may be grouped into two, acute and chronic hepatitis. Abdominal pain, fatigue and breast development in men may be signs of hepatitis. Jaundice, dark colored urine and clay-colored stools in addition to fever, loss of appetite ad weight loss may also be signs of hepatitis (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia 1). Hepatitis A and E are transmitted via the fecal-oral route through the ingestion of contaminated water and food. Parenteral contact with infected fluids are also transmission modes of three forms of Hepatitis, B, C and D. Hepatitis B and C can lead to chronic liver disease and are the main causes of cancer and liver cirrhosis (World Health Organization 1). Patients with hepatitis B are the only ones who can be co-infected with hepatitis D. co-infections with hepatitis, B and D, are the leading cause of acute infections and the co-infection may lead to liver cirrhosis. Treatment of hepatitis A is usually through provision of plenty of fluids with o further provision of medicines. The body immune system fights the disease since prescription of drugs may worsen the condition by causing liver damage. In treatment of hepatitis B, no drugs are prescribed to avoid liver damage though a nutritious diet and adequate fluids are prescribed to aid the immune system in fighting the disease. Medicines may be prescribed in cases of chronic hepatitis B. Hepatitis C is caused by hepatitis C virus and causes chronic infection in almost 85% of the infected individuals. The disease may be described as a silent epidemic since in most cases of the disease, either acute or chronic, symptoms are few and victims may not be aware of the presence of the disease. In cases of hepatitis C two drugs may be prescribed, interferon and ribavirin in hepatitis B and where there are cases of co-infection with hepatitis D, drug interferon may be administered to prevent progression of the disease to liver cirrhosis. Chlamydia Infection Chlamydia is a bacterial STD caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and it is transmitted during sexual contact oral, anal and vaginal with infected person. Most of the infections with the STI have no symptoms (in about 70% of infection). In the absence of symptoms in infected individuals, abnormal vaginal and penis discharge may occur coupled to pain while urinating. Complications due to the infection may result if the infections go untreated thus leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and epididymis in men. These two conditions may lead to ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women and men respectively. Exposure of the bacteria to the baby in the birth canal during birth may lead to eye infection and pneumonia which present conjunctivitis, discharge from eyes and swollen eyelids. Antibiotics such as azithromycin and doxycycline are administered in cases of chlamydia infections. Abstinence from sexual intercourse is the surest way of avoiding chlamydia infections and for those with multiple sexual partners, use of latex condoms may protect from such infection. Toxoplasmosis Toxoplasmosis is caused by protozoa Toxoplasma gondii. Usually infected individuals show no symptoms since in health individuals the immune system is capable of keeping the parasite from causing the disease. However, in the immune-compromised people such as those living with HIV/AIDs and in pregnant women, toxoplasmosis signs may be observed. Transmission of the disease is usually congenital from mother to the unborn child. However in organ transplantation and blood transfusion, the protozoa may be transmitted. Therefore, transmission of the disease may adopt three routes of transmission, foodborne through the handling of infected foods. Congenital transmission and in some instances zoonotic transmission are possible. Zoonotic transmission usually occurs through contacts with cats. Cats acquire the parasites by eating infected rodents and the parasite is passed in cats’ faeces as oocysts. Upon 3 weeks of infection of cats, oocysts are passed from cats’ faeces thereby contaminating litter and the surrounding environment. Contaminated environment may include pasture thereby passing the parasites to farm animals. Therefore, eating undercooked may lead to infection with the parasite. Zoonotic transmission from cats is usually accidental from contaminated litter box, water and the environment in general. A toxoplasma-infected organ donor may transmit the protozoa to the organ recipient. Signs and symptoms may not occur in health individuals since the immune system is capable of keeping the parasite from causing disease. However, where the immune system is compromised or in pregnancy, symptoms of the disease include tender lymph nodes and muscle aches. If an expectant mother is infected for the first time during pregnancy, the infection may be passed to the fetus potentially leading to miscarriage, still births. In addition, babies infected in pregnancy may have abnormally large heads or small ones. In immune compromised individuals, severe forms of toxoplasmosis may occur. Such include fever, nausea, seizures and poor coordination. Pregnant women who have never been infected with toxoplasmosis are a higher risk of transmitting the protozoa to unborn in addition to immunocompromised persons such as those living with HIV/AIDS. Observance of high hygiene standards especially for immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women is essential in preventing toxoplasmosis. Proper cooking of meat and safe handling of foods are some of the measures to be observed in preventing and controlling toxoplasmosis. Handwashing after handling cat litter or cats and avoiding adoption of stray cats are also additional measures in preventing and controlling the disease. Cats should always be kept indoors to prevent them from consuming infected rodents and birds (CDC 1). Works Cited A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. “Hepatitis” Accessed December 5, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002139/. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “2010 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance” Accessed December 4, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/gonorrhea.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Parasites - Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma infection).” Accessed December 4, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Gonorrhea.” Accessed December 4, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/syphilis/understanding/Pages/transmission.aspx National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Syphilis.” Accessed December 4, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/syphilis/understanding/Pages/transmission.aspx World Health Organization. “Health Topics: Hepatitis.” Accessed December 5, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/hepatitis/en/ Read More