Yersiniosis is a relatively rare infection came from the ingestion of insufficiently meat, unpasteurized milk or water contaminated by bacteria.

Normally, a person with an infection caused by a bacterium Yersinia recovers in a few days without medical treatment (in some cases, doctors prescribe antibiotics).

About Yersinia Enterocolitica

Of the three main types of yersiniosis affect people, Yersinia enterocolitica (bacteria thrive with cool temperatures) are responsible for most infections in the United States. however, there is only one confirmed case of 100,000 people every year.affects the digestive system.

The bacteria can infect the digestive system of humans, cats, dogs, pigs, cows and goats. People can contract by eating or handling contaminated food such as raw or undercooked meat or drinking untreated water or unpasteurized milk that was contaminated.

A baby can become infected if a parent or guardian is responsible for cleaning contaminated food without properly before handling the baby toys, bottles or pacifiers.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of yersiniosis appear 4 to 7 days after exposure and can last up to 3 weeks. they include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Sometimes, older children also feel pain in the lower right side of the abdomen that can mimic appendicitis.

If your child has these symptoms, contact your doctor. Children, it is especially important to call your doctor as soon as symptoms appear to prevent infection leads to other health problems.

In rare cases, infection can cause a rash or joint pain that appears a month after the first symptoms. but these symptoms disappear without treatment.

Treatment

Diarrhea caused by yersiniosis generally goes to the same, although in some cases, antibiotics are prescribed. In infants, however – especially those who are 3 months or less – can become a more serious condition called bacteremia, a blood infection. Infants who contract yersiniosis are usually treated in a hospital.

Depending on the severity of diarrhea, your doctor may change your child’s diet for 1-2 days and encourage the child to drink more fluids (which may include drinks with electrolytes to replace body fluids quickly.)

If your child has frequent episodes of diarrhea, look for signs of dehydration, including:

• Severe thirst
• Dry mouth or tongue
• Sunken eyes
• Dry skin
• Rarely urination
• In children, a dry diaper for several hours

Prevention

To reduce the risk of yersiniosis, take the following precautions:

• Don’t eat raw meat or serve undercoooked.
• Power and serving of milk products or milk.
• Wash hands with soap and water, especially before eating and preparing food, before touching the children or their toys, bottles or pacifiers, and after contact with animals or handling raw meat.
• Use separate cutting boards for meat and other foods.
• Clean all cutting boards, counters, and utensils with soap and warm water after preparing raw meat.
• Always cook meat before eating, especially pork products.
• Removal of animal feces and wastewater something they have touched.
• Avoid drinking directly from natural water sources such as ponds and mountain streams, especially if the water is near farmland where cattle, pigs, goats are raised.
• When you care for a family member who has diarrhea, remember to wash hands thoroughly before touching other people and before handling food.
• If your dog or cat has diarrhea, wash your hands every time you take care of him, and seek veterinary care and / or infectivity.

When to call the doctor

Call your doctor if your child:

• A diarrhea traces of blood
• There is a vomit
• Shows signs of dehydration

With a little rest, usually children yersiniosis make a full recovery soon.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Reporter: Rachel Schaerr l Videographer: Dan Heffner

Bedford Co., VA – the Central Virginia Health Department is warning Bedford County residents to be extra vigilant after a rabid coyote attacked a family's dog. About 25 letters went out to neighbors after the February 14th attack on Glass Hill Road.

The dog was bitten on its leg but fortunately it was up to date on its rabies vaccine and expected to be fine. this is the first confirmed case of rabies in the county so far this year.

The dog's owner Dee Arrington woke-up at 1:30 a.m. to find three-year-old Dixie yelping and a coyote circling the dog house.

“It just looked real creepy it was like lurking around the dog house real slow,” Arrington said.

Dixie had bite marks on her hind legs. Arrington says if she wasn't tied up, the coyote probably would have dragged her off and killed her.

Arrington's husband grabbed his gun and killed the coyote. the image of that night is still fresh in Dee Harrington's mind.

“When I start the car in the morning I just look around,” Arrington said.

After taking pictures of the dead animal, the Arringtons called animal control and had it tested for rabies. they came back positive, no surprise to their stepdaughters who saw it acting strangely the day before.

“They had stopped and seen it just kind of walking around and it had circled the truck. they took pictures of it on their cell phone,” Arrington said.

Steve Simpson, the Environmental Manager for the Central Virginia Health District says rabies symptoms range from paralysis, blindness, aggressiveness or an animal that just lies around. last year 11 animals in Bedford County tested positive for rabies. More rabies attacks are reported in the springtime because it's mating season.

If you suspect an animal is rabid, call your local animal control first and then report it to the department of health.

AT least 2.5 million people will be vaccinated in northern Uganda against yellow fever that had by the weekend killed 45 people and infected 178 others.

The disease, whose fatality rate ranges between 15% and 50%, is taken so seriously that just one confirmed case is considered an outbreak by the World Health Organisation.

While the health ministry has instituted measures to contain the disease, a mass rather than ring-vaccination would be a more effective control mechanism. Diseases know no borders. With increased travel within the region the disease could have been transmitted far beyond the surrounding districts. therefore, a mass vaccination, as was done in the Gambia in the 1970s, is the best approach in the long run. Yellow fever vaccination could also be added to the expanded programme for immunisation that currently covers the six killer diseases – tetanus, diptheria, whooping cough, polio, TB and measles.

Global statistics show that yellow fever cases are on the increase with 90% of the 200,000 cases registered annually being in Africa. Uganda is therefore, likely to experience a resurgence of yellow fever, just like polio a few years ago.

Since most Ugandan health units are not equipped to test for yellow fever, the medical workers should be highly suspicious and investigate all cases with yellow fever symptoms like high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and backache. anybody who presents these symptoms should immediately take a medical check-up.

Uganda should be more vigilant since all factors responsible for the resurgence of yellow fever are prevalent here – reduced immunisation against the disease; deforestation bringing people in closer contact with monkeys and population movements making it easier to transport the disease far and wide.

Therefore, unless stringent measures like mass immunisation are taken in collaboration with neighbouring countries, Uganda is likely to register more yellow fever outbreaks in other places with its attendant costs.

More News on allAfrica.com AllAfrica – All the Time