Please give me a good website to find out things about Avian Influenza, Anthrax, Haemorhagic Fevers, Cholera, Hepatits B, Diptheria, HIV, Influenza, Leprosy, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, and Tetanus; things like their scientific name, symptoms and virulence; known reservoirs and vectors; and their geographic isolation and treatments. You guys would be doing me a HUGE favor. Give me some good websites. I have already used the World Health Organization's website and the Center for Disease Control's website.

also try:
emedicine
medscape

More than half the paediatric fevers treated in public health clinics in Africa are caused by diseases other than malaria, according to a study by Oxford University and other research groups, whose authors caution against the “continued indiscriminate use of anti-malarials for all fevers across Africa.”  

Of the 183 million children with malaria symptoms treated by public health clinics in 2007, only 43 percent were diagnosed with malaria, but many more most likely received anti-malarial medication. ”Malaria is still routinely made as the diagnosis of convenience in response to paediatric fever,” the study’s lead researcher, Peter Gething, told IRIN. “This in part stems fromofficial guidelines that have only recently been updated, and in part because often the only treatments available in front-line clinics are anti-malarials.” In 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that health workers in countries with a high number of suspected cases of malaria treat children with fevers – the main clinical symptom of malaria – for the disease, even without a diagnosis. There was little else to do at the time, said WHO expert Peter Olumese. “the probability was high that the fevers were from malaria, the disease could turn fatal quickly and there was no time to lose, and there were no proven diagnostic tools,” he told IRIN. Since then, rapid diagnostic testing for malaria has become available, making it possible to confirm diagnoses without health workers, a microscope or a laboratory. In 2008, 11.5 million of these tests were distributed in Africa; in 2009, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria financed 74 million tests, and another 105 million in 2010, according to the Roll back Malaria Partnership. People in communities have been trained to test one another for malaria. In Senegal, people of all ages are treated for malaria in government-funded health centres only once there is a positive result from a laboratory or rapid test. In sub-Saharan Africa 31 countries have a policy of “universal diagnostic testing”, while another 15 countries in the region have set a goal of testing before treatment in children aged five and older, judging it too risky to delay treatment in younger patients.

More on malaria from IRIN

 BURKINA FASO: when is malaria not malaria?

 GLOBAL: Spoonfuls of sugar could save malaria patients

 MALI: Combating malaria misdiagnosis

 TIMOR-LESTE: Rebuilding infrastructure poses challenge to tackling malaria

Yet it can be equally risky to treat someone for malaria based only on the assumption that they have the disease, the director of WHO’s global malaria programme, Robert Newman, told IRIN. ”you might be wasting ACT [anti-malarial artemisinin-based Combination Therapy], while increasing the risk for drug resistance; also, you are not treating the underlying febrile disease and the drug delay can be fatal. If you treat bacterial pneumonia with anti-malarials, you still have a problem.” On Kinaserom, one of the islands in Lake Chad, health workers recently started using rapid tests to check patients suspected of having malaria. Mahamat Boukar Moussa, the head nurse at a clinic on the island, told IRIN he gave patients malaria medication even when test results were negative. “the tests are not accurate and we cannot risk inaction.” Raoul Ngarhounoum, the regional health director overseeing the rollout of malaria rapid testing, told IRIN he agreed with the health workers’ scepticism. “these are malaria-endemic areas, and just because a test says it is not malaria does not mean it is not.” Gething said that besides quality control, “Simply supplying RDT [rapid diagnostic testing] universally is likely to be less effective if it is not accompanied by sufficient training for front-line health workers.” The Foundation for Innovative new Diagnostics, which works with WHO to create quality control standards for rapid tests, recommends spot checking in each batch of tests ordered to ensure the tests were not poorly manufactured, or had been damaged in transit or storage. Malaria treatment would not change overnight, said Gething. “In an ideal world, all fevers reaching clinics in Africa would be tested for malaria, using a reliable diagnostic test … as always, the reality on the ground is more complex. for years the advice has been to treat all fevers as malaria, and changing that dogma is likely to take time.” 

Oct. 22: a man suffering from cholera symptoms lies on the floor of the hospital in Marchand Dessalines, Haiti.

GENEVA — the United Nations asked for $164 million Friday to fight the cholera outbreak in Haiti that has already claimed 724 lives and is expected to continue spreading for up to a year.

The funds will be used by U.N. and non-governmental organizations to bring in additional doctors, medicines and water-purification equipment to treat up to 200,000 people who could show cholera symptoms ranging from mild diarrhea to severe dehydration, the global body said.

“We absolutely need this money as soon as possible,” said Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the U.N. humanitarian office.

She told reporters in Geneva that the funds need to be provided quickly “otherwise all our efforts can be outrun by the epidemic.”

At least 11,125 cases of cholera have been confirmed in five of Haiti’s 10 districts since the outbreak began last month. ten deaths and 278 cases have occurred in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The World Health Organization said Friday that the epidemic isn’t likely to end soon.

“The projections of 200,000 cases over the next six to twelve months shows the amplitude of what could be expected,” said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl. he noted that the current fatality rate of 6.5 percent is far higher than it should be.

“No one alive in Haiti has experienced cholera before, so it’s a population which is very susceptible to the bacteria,” Hartl said. “Once it is in water systems it transmits very easily, and it transmits among people who are often asymptomatic.”

“Cholera, now that it is in Haiti, probably the bacteria will be there for a number of years to come,” he added. “It will not go away.”

The cause of the outbreak in Haiti is still unknown. the country hadn’t seen cholera cases for decades before last month.

“The specific origin of this specific outbreak is something which probably will be investigated at some point, but what is important right now is the response on the ground,” Hartl said.

GENEVA — Haiti’s cholera outbreak appears to be diminishing nationwide but the death rate in rural areas remains alarmingly high, the United Nations said Friday.the mixed picture comes from Haitian government figures citing 231,070 reported cases and 4,549 deaths since the epidemic began in October.

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National mortality rates from cholera are down to 2 percent, from as high as 9 percent earlier, but in some rural areas, more than one-in-ten people who contract the disease die.

In Haiti’s Sud Est region, the mortality rate hit 10.7 percent as of Feb. 9, while in Nippes it was 6.7 percent and in the Grande Anse region, 5.9 percent. the rate should be under 1 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

“It’s there (in rural areas) that we absolutely have to strengthen our efforts,” said Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the U.N. humanitarian coordination office. “for that we need money.”

The U.N. also is concerned about the possible spread of the disease during Haiti’s upcoming Carnival season.

The U.N. has asked for $175 million to deal with Haiti’s cholera outbreak, much of which is distributed to local partners and non-governmental organizations to carry out aid work. So far, however, donors have provided only $80 million.

The U.N. itself has been accused of inadvertedly starting the cholera epidemic in Haiti through bad sanitation, a claim the global body has sent experts to Haiti to investigate.

The World Health Organization said Friday it was trying to keep the anti-cholera efforts in Haiti from collapsing.

“Even if many NGO’s are leaving for different reasons, there is an exit strategy,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. “WHO is working with the Ministry of Health to replace the NGOs that were running these cholera centers.”

The U.N. health agency won’t rest until Haiti’s mortality rate for cholera has been further reduced, she said. “We are not giving up on getting it under 1 percent.”

But as things stand now, cholera “will be a disease for the months and years to come in Haiti” despite it being previously unknown to generations of Haitians, she said.

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Author: Rachel Broune

Depression is an illness which has become common in recent a times. this mental illness is associated with deep thoughts of the patients which makes them think they are loosing the charm and the glitters of life. It has many different forms and is associated with many other physical illnesses as well. according to a recent report issued by the World Health Organization, more than 11 million people are diagnosed with clinical depression.

People who experience major depression feel persistently sad. they do not take pleasure in activities that were once enjoyable. other physical and mental problems often experienced include sleep problems, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate, memory problems, and aches and pains.

Acute Depression is the most severe form of depression.

Treatment options for Acute Depression

Although guidelines state that antidepressant treatment should continue for up to six months after an acute depressive illness, there is considerable variation in practice and widespread uncertainty about the optimal duration of therapy.

For primary care patients with acute major depression or dysthymia, including elderly persons without significant comorbid conditions, physicians should consider either tricyclic antidepressants or newer antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as equally efficacious treatments. For short-term treatment of mild acute depression, St. John’s wort may be considered.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for major depressive disorder, in patients who have failed adequate antidepressant medication trials, are unable to tolerate antidepressant medications, have severe or psychotic symptoms, are acutely suicidal or homicidal, or have profound stupor or agitation.

Some studies suggest that elderly patients tend to respond to ECT more slowly than do young patients, because the seizure threshold increases with age.

Article Source: articlesbase.com/disabilities-articles/combat-acute-depression-354428.html

About the Author

Rachel Broune writes articles for depression treatment. he also writes for anxiety and antidepressant.

Zacks Equity Research, On Tuesday December 7, 2010, 10:20 am EST

Roche Holdings Ltd. (Other OTC: RHHBY.PK – News) recently announced positive results from a mid-stage trial of its schizophrenia candidate, RG1678. The trial demonstrated that the candidate led to a reduction in the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, along with bringing about changes in patients’ personal and social functioning.

In the phase II trial, patients with predominantly negative symptoms of schizophrenia were given either RG1678 in combination with second-generation antipsychotics or placebo. The efficacy and safety profile of three dosage regimens of RG1678 (10 mg, 30 mg and 60 mg) were assessed in the study. The candidate as such was well tolerated with a favorable safety profile.

The candidate is currently in a phase III program for schizophrenia.

RG1678, once approved, will face competition from Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal and Invega and Merck & Co. Inc.’s Saphris. Forest Laboratories Inc. (NYSE: FRX – News) also has a pipeline candidate for the treatment of schizophrenia in cariprazine.

Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder, characterized by disruptions in thinking and behavior, leading to hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, accompanied with social or occupational dysfunction. according to the World Health Organization (WHO), schizophrenia affects about 24 million people worldwide, particularly adults aged between 15 and 35 years.

The positive trial results of RG1678 come as a respite for Roche, which had been trying to cope with a number of pipeline debacles. These include the negative results on Avastin in gastric and prostate cancer patients, discontinuation of development of ocrelizumab for rheumatoid arthritis due to an unfavorable risk-benefit profile and a delay in the development of type II diabetes treatment, taspoglutide, due to a higher incidence of hypersensitivity reactions in late-stage trials.

FOREST LABS INC (FRX): Read the full Research Report

JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ): Read the full Research Report

MERCK & CO (MRK): Read the full Research Report

Zacks Investment Research

Feedzilla Swine Flu News Widget

Luxemburg (PRWEB) may 4, 2009

as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease and Prevention Control struggle to get news out to the general public on Swine Flu, private software and Internet news companies are creating Web 2.0 social networking tools to reach millions.

The Internet news distribution organization Feedzilla.com has created a Swine Flu news widget which updates critical news and information from WHO, CDC and reliable news organizations 24/7 to help answer the public’s many questions such as: “how can I protect myself, what can I do to prevent spreading swine flu and where did the latest outbreaks occur?

The Feedzilla Swine Flu news widget, the first widget created for the Swine Flu virus, is receiving over 4 million views per day from over a 100,000 Websites, Internet blogs and forums.

Widgets are interactive software computer desktop virtual tools that provide single-purpose services such as showing the user the latest news, the current weather, the time, a calendar, a dictionary, a map program, a calculator, desktop notes, photo viewers, or even a language translator, among other things.

Feedzilla’s Swine Flu widget entitled – “Help stop the Flu” is available now for easy installation on any Website or blog to keep the general public informed at all times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the new strain of Swine Flu H1N1 influenza has spread to over 30 US states and has infected over 1000 people. the CDC previously had confirmed 160 cases in 21 states.

New York has the most cases with 63, many linked to a school in Queens. Texas has 40 cases. one person has died, a toddler who was visiting Texas from Mexico.

CDC acting Director Dr. Richard Besser has said repeatedly he expects to see more cases in the United States as screening for the new flu strain continues.

A member of the WHO’s Pandemic Influenza Taskforce which yesterday decided to raise the alert level over swine flu, said 40% of the UK population could be infected if the country is hit by a pandemic.

The never-before-seen virus was created when genes from pig, bird and human viruses mixed together inside a pig. Experts fear the virus that has gone from humans back into pigs in at least one case could mutate further before crossing back into humans again. but no one can predict what will happen.

“could it gain virulence? Yes,” Juan Lubroth, an animal health expert at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, said Sunday. “It could also become milder. It could go in both directions.”

Unlike the H5N1 bird flu virus, which infects the blood, organs and tissue of poultry, most swine flus are confined to the respiratory tract, meaning the risk of a human getting infected by a pig is “probably 10 or a 1,000 times less,” Lubroth said.

But pigs are of special concern because they share some basic biological similarities with humans, and they have served as “mixing vessels” in which various flu strains have swapped genetic material. That’s what happened to create the current swine flu strain.

Dr. Tim Uyeki, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who has worked on SARS and bird flu outbreaks, said: “the world has been watching and preparing and trying to prevent a pandemic from an avian influenza reservoir,” he said. “the focus has been on birds, and here is a virus that’s coming from a swine reservoir. now it’s a human virus.”

The virulent Spanish flu of 1918 spread to all parts of the world, infecting as many as a third of the global population. around 40 million people are thought to have died from the illness.

Research firm Gartner estimates that an actual pandemic could cause absenteeism rates of 40 percent or higher for the enterprise and smaller businesses. Hundreds of schools throughout the US, Mexico and Europe have already closed for a temporary period.

“IT managers should meet with senior executives, line-of-business managers and other high-level decision-makers to answer any questions should be made aware of the seriousness of this pandemic preparation,” Roberta Witty, research vice president at Gartner, said in a statement. “IT managers should plan, test and add capacity to ensure the sustainability of what is likely to be a predominantly work-at-home environment.”

“Feedzilla’s main focus is on prevention and containment,” said Feedzilla CEO Assaf Suprasky.

“the only weapons we all have are prevention and information as a vaccine will not be ready for months. the specific news widget on Swine Flu contains all pertinent information regarding one’s country of residence or travel destination. From the US, Mexico, Canada and England to Russia, Japan, China and Brazil, an interactive world-map allows the user to access this information by just one click to any point on the map.”

Graphics are supplied by D-LABS. Most importantly Feedzilla does not rely on information generated by various search engines but provides its users with updated content handpicked by 30 globally located professional editors.

The Feedzilla website was started in 2005 and has gained substantial experience over the last few years by providing content on a vast variety of subjects both on a global scale as well localized to specific countries. These news specific categories include top news, business, health, Internet, music, politics, science, sports, technology, travel, entertainment, lifestyle, academic, industry, finance, banking, automotive, movies, legal, human rights, celebrities, food, wine and society

Content providers include a large assortment of different media and company services. News and information are vetted and sorted by experienced Feedzilla editors 24 hours a day.

“Internet social networking, blogs and Web 2.0 Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia and MySpace are playing a critical role today in disseminating life saving information,” said Suprasky.“the Feedzilla Swine Flu news widget compliments Facebook, Twitter, Google and other prominent Web 2.0 sites by introducing an application for tracking swine flu, the much-publicized pathogen that has killed dozens of people in Mexico and potentially infected hundreds more worldwide.”

Suprasky adds: “our goal is to bring the best news to every eyeball in the world for free, with full access to data. We are working on enhancing our content to make the widget more viral and friendly.”

Feedzilla’s CEO concludes: “the situation is worsening. It is a highly unstable one with indications that Swine Flu may not be as lethal and as devastating as it was first thought, but yet there is no cure or vaccine developed. Infections are increasing by the hour. Governments and their health agencies are not taking any risks. They are also weighing their words and expectations as they use crisis management tools to reduce panic. We are not out of the forest and many health care professionals believe that Swine Flu has not yet reached its peak. as such, Feedzilla will continue to report reliable real time news to millions world-wide as to what steps to take to prevent and contain this disease.”

Find more Swine Flu Press Releases

1. Swine flu alert! News/Death ratio: 8176
2. 205000 sick in Ukraine Swine Flu Pneumonic Plague THEY DON T KNOW Latest news!
3. Channel 4 News Exposes Swine Flu Scandal
4. Latest Bird Flu News
5. Web Conferencing used as a Form of Swine Flu Prevention

You want to shave WHERE?Cesareans are not simple procedures. They are MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERIES. with c-sections on the rise in the US, I was determined during my pregnancy not to be a statistic. I did natural childbirth with my first son and although I had placenta abruptia, I still delivered vaginally. I assumed I’d be fine with my second. Boy was I wrong! Caesarean! Not in the plan!

But when faced with pregnancy complications, what choice do women have? there are reasons for them: multiple births, complications (like abruptia!), maternal infection (had that, too), health concerns for mother or baby, abnormal birth positions (sounds familiar). the World Health Organization recommends no more than a 15 percent c-section rate. in the US? it was estimated to be 32 percent in 2007. THIRTY. TWO. That’s one-third, for those of you not good at math.

When I labored with #2, I was two weeks overdue and began having symptoms of abruptia. again. and then I was septic. Then they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. and on top of that fact he turned and was presenting shoulder first. Lucky me! That’s when they decided to do a c-section. Immediately or sooner. through my fever-induced delirium I thought, “C-section? Me? NO. I’m doing it naturally! no drugs! It’ll be fun!” Yeah, about that.

I had to have a cesarean. As in, NECESSARY. They called up the anesthesiologist and I got a very quick epidural (and now I know what heaven feels like. I’d still do natural all over again, though). Then, a nurse who apparently never shaved her carpet got a disposable razor out and hacked away at the hair to make room for the incision (Note: If you KNOW you are having a C? Do this yourself ahead of time. TRUST ME ON THIS). this itches like a MOFO later when it grows in.

Then they had me drink antacid so you don’t puke during the cesarean. except it made me puke immediately. SCORE! after I was “prepped” they took me to the OR across the hall and hooked me up to machines. All the while they told me NOT TO PUSH. Now, I was there for natural childbirth and had been laboring for hours and was fully dilated. Not pushing is kinda hard at that point.

When they got me situated on the table they let my husband come in. at least, I think it was him. Hard to tell, with the gown and mask and whatnot. first, they make an incision the lower abdomen, pull out your uterus (I think that’s what it was), and open it up to take out your baby. Sort of. Mine was kinda down in the canal a bit and they had to go in the other end (as in, through my vagina) and push him back in. that was fun. By the way, it kinda looks like spaghetti. For the record, I wasn’t supposed to be watching, but they didn’t realize I could see the reflection of everything they were doing on the baby warmer (until I opened my mouth and said, “Hey! I can see what you’re doing!” Then they moved it. Joy killers).

When they pulled the baby out, it was really anticlimactic for me. it was almost right out of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, complete with the machine that says, “BING.” They showed me baby over the drape and took him to the nursery while I was stitched up (I had dermabond and steri strips. Much easier healing!). I couldn’t even hold him, my arms were strapped down with IVs. that sucked a little. OK, it sucked a lot.

Once in Recovery, I got to see my little man. Or not-so-little man, as he was eight pounds fifteen ounces AFTER the first bowel movement. When I got to our room, I could nurse and have privacy. They got me right up to start walking around and I could eat almost immediately. I stayed for seven days, due to the hemorrhaging, but most women I know stay three after the big C. THREE DAYS. after major abdominal surgery. I never ended up taking the narcotic pain killers they prescribed because I didn’t like the idea of baby being drugged along with me and also because I wasn’t coherent enough to take care of my kids. the pain? Not so bad, but I have a high tolerance (remember, I’m one of those wackadoos that does natural childbirth).

The hardest part? Not resuming normal activity for a few weeks. you know, because of the MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. Cleaning up the dog stuff in the yard a week later? NOT ALLOWED.

Honestly? it wasn’t the worst experience of my life (except for the hospital food) and the end result was a healthy baby, which is more important than how he got here. in my case, it was necessary.  But my own opinion (and some will, no doubt, disagree with me) is that no one should have a cesarean unless there is an underlying medical condition or a complication that warrants one. They aren’t easy. They aren’t hard, either. But they aren’t fun. and c-sections are not convenient. I can’t figure out why for the life of me any one would CHOOSE to have one, if it wasn’t needed.

This was just my experience. your mileage might vary. my advice? Read up on all options long before you are due. make sure you know the risks involved in having a cesarean. Regardless of your decision, realize it is yours to make, between you and your practitioner.

Image via Marj Hatzell