Billions Spent on Bogus Medicine?

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/tamiflu-effective-promised-researchers-article-1.1752135

“Flu Drugs Tamiflu and Relenza Wouldn't be Effective Against Pandemic: New Research”, published on April 10^th 2014 by New York Daily Times, is a riveting article concerning controversial drugs used in flu prevention and cure. This article mainly concerns itself with the political and economic ramifications of stock piling drugs against a potential flu epidemic. However, as this article explains, not only are the drugs in question universally uncertified, but recent research has shown that it has little beneficial effect but many harmful side effects. Such cons include nausea and prolonged vomiting with only a shortened duration to prove for it. As Carl Heneghan, one of the lead investigators of the review and a professor of evidence-based medicine at Britain's Oxford University disclosed, “money has been thrown down the drain because, until now, the full data had not been seen by regulators, governments, doctors or patients.” Thus, in essence, governments all over the world have potentially wasted billions on a medicine that would do little should an epidemic occur. However, many are hopeful that these measures will decrease the risk of another epidemic like that of the Spanish Influenza of 1918.

 I found this article particularly interesting because it relates directly to our Spanish Influenza unit as well as our antibiotic and biotech explorations. Because bacteria and viruses are ever changing and adapting I am curious to know if these medicines will prove any good should an epidemic occur. Knowing the ghastly effects of Influenza, I am comforted by our government’s actions towards protection but am doubtful of their effectiveness.

Measles and Vaccination

  

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/inside-story/articles/2014/3/25/is-the-rise-in-preventablediseasestiedoftheantivaccinationmoveme.html

Recently the Aljazeera America website posted an article on the recent Mumps outbreak at Ohio State and if it is worth getting the vaccination shot. At Ohio State many workers and students have come down with the Mumps and even 18 people away from the university have come down with the diseases. Because of the diseases being highly contagious many people in the community are on alert taking preventable measures to not get the diseases. Many parents are concerned for there infants because young children have a higher chance of getting the diseases. Doctors are worried about the Mumps and now even Measles because of the long incubation period and how one can be sick and spread the disease without even knowing it.

As this disease and Measles are becoming more prevalent in the country many people are questioning if vaccinations are even worth it. Some are against the vaccinations because of “consisting of politically or religiously conservative, health-conscious or autism-fearing parents”. There have even been celebrities like Jenny McCarthy saying that she is against vaccination and blames the ones that her son had for causing his autism. But doctors from the CDC say if people did not get vaccinated upwards of nearly 3 million would die per year from disease. In my opinion I will always get vaccinated because I think that the chances of getting sick is lower this way.
 

Polio-Like Virus Causing Paralysis in Children in California

On March 3, 2014, The Boston Globe published an article called "Paralysis in children linked to polio-like virus, but it’s rare" by Deborah Kotz. The article discusses 20-25 cases of sudden cases of paralysis in California. California health officials believe that these sudden cases of paralysis are linked to a polio-like virus, enterovirus-68. They suspect that the virus in serious cases, like polio, could attack nerve cells in the spine sometimes causing irreversible paralysis in the arms and legs. These cases of paralysis did not respond to standard medical treatments such as steroids, like polio. Although enterovirus-68 is like polio but nobody is sure how common paralysis is in it, but officials are sure that is less common than with polio, the article states, "perhaps between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000 infections." "“It sounds bad because it’s something that looks like polio,” Waubant said, “but the number of cases has been small considering how large California is. We don’t think it’s an epidemic and, if anything, it might have been a small outbreak of a rare infection,”" Kotz includes this quote from Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, a neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco. I think that this quotes puts things into perspective that even though the idea of another polio-like epidemic is scary, this virus may not actually be a serious, global, threat.

Sofia Jarvis, 4, of Berkeley, Calif., with father Jeff Jarvis, is one of the affected children.

This article connects with our current unit on the polio outbreak of the 1950's. The outbreak in 1950's effected the lives of thousands, with 57,628 reported cases in 1952 alone. Polio is a virus that is spread human to human by the oral-fecal route. In more serious cases of polio the patient will become paralyzed. In the article Kotz quotesDr. Al DeMaria saying, "“With polio, 1 in every 1,000 children who were infected developed paralysis,” …. “and at its height, polio caused 20,000 to 30,000 cases of paralysis per year.”" This connects to enterovirus-68 because the symptoms are similar to those of polio.

I thought this article was extremely interesting because I feel like polio does not get much mention recently because its not a prominent disease in today's society, but it something to be feared. This article reminded me that even if a disease is not necessarily coming back (such as polio) that other similar diseases can develop and be just as bad or worse. It's always scary to have a disease that is easily susceptible to children from human to human contact because young children don't understand the importance of washing their hands and taking the certain precautions they need to prevent the spread of disease. One thing that I found interesting in the article was that doctors do not have to report sudden cases of paralysis. I thought that this was unusual because if these cases remain unreported it could spread without people even realizing especially because these unexpected paralysis could be due to an infectious disease.

Original Article: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/03/03/how-worried-should-about-new-polio-like-virus/D44YZgt3mKHSLgQLdvXYnN/story.html

Are You Aware of Tuberculosis?

This article, which was published on March 24, 2014, pertains to Tuberculosis and how many people are unaware of the disease.  The article states, “In 2012, 220,000 cases were reported, but PAHO/WHO estimates an additional 60,000 people remain undiagnosed, most of them living in cities.”  Sixty thousand is a strikingly large number of people who were estimated to be undiagnosed.  One out of every five people infected with TB in the Americas is unaware of the disease due to the lack of access to health services or because they were not properly diagnosed.  This statistic is a frightening indicator and could be potentially detrimental to the health of civilians in the Americas.

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs.  One out of three people worldwide has latent tuberculosis, which means they are infected but do not have any active symptoms of the disease and cannot transmit it.

            In 2012, the estimated 60,000 people who were believed to have TB have not yet been diagnosed or reported.  This circumstance not only endangers their lives but facilitates further transmission of TB.  It also generates socioeconomic costs for individuals and their communities.  "The diagnosis and treatment of all people affected by TB can only succeed if all health providers, community organizations, partners, and countries join forces to detect and treat these 60,000 people", stated PAHO/WHO Director Carissa F. Etienne.  Everyone across the globe deserves access to high-quality healthcare.  This measure will help reduce the toll of TB and help ensure that all Americans live long, healthy lives.

            High numbers of Tuberculosis cases are most prevalent in large cities – usually in the outskirts, where living conditions lead to overcrowding.  Limited access to clean drinking water and properly functioning sewage systems also play a major role in how the disease is contracted and spread.  With the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), PAHO/WHO is implementing an initiative for control of tuberculosis in the large cities of the region that tries to diagnose cases of TB in a timely manner, so as to speed up the reduction of the disease in the Americas.

 

The Americas have reduced the prevalence of tuberculosis by 61% between 1990 and 2012, and have reduced the TB mortality rate by 68% in the same period.  This is great news!  The progress achieved is largely due to the implementation of the PAHO/WHO "Stop TB" strategy, which is based on timely diagnosis and treatment, universal access to care, and adequate combinations of anti-tuberculosis drugs.  Today in the U.S. TB tests are commonly done. 

 

However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, tuberculosis is still one of the leading causes of death from a single infectious agent, alongside HIV/AIDS.  In addition to undiagnosed cases, other challenges include the spread of multidrug-resistant TB, the emergence of extensively drug-resistant TB, and the increasing frequency of TB and HIV/AIDS co-infection.

This article reminded me of the book, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.  Dr. Paul Farmer works tremendously hard to treat and diagnose patients with TB in Haiti.  In the book, it explains Farmer’s difficulty with treating patients with multidrug-resistant TB.  In my opinion this article is very sad that so many people are unaware of tuberculosis.  One and five people are a lot more than I expected.  Before reading this article, I wasn’t that clear on the science behind the disease.  It is a relief that the number of TB cases are decreasing and the physicians around the world are getting better at diagnosing it.

 

Original article: “In the Americas, One in Five People with Tuberculosis is Unaware of the Disease” by Staff Editor, published March 24 2014 in Health News Digest. http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Disease_420/In-the-Americas-One-in-Five-People-with-Tuberculosis-is-Unaware-of-the-Disease.shtml

Diseases Coming Back Due to Lack of Vaccinations

There have been four major diseases that have begun to remerge recently.  These four diseases include measles, mumps, whooping cough and chicken pox.  Scientists believe that these diseases have popped up again because so many people refuse to get their children vaccinated.  The most prominent disease out of these four is measles.  A spokesman for the CDC commented that "if you are unvaccinated and you come in contact with measles, there's a 90% chance you will get it."  

It is true that these measles outbreaks are primarily linked to unvaccinated people.  However, vaccines are not always perfect and a person can still get the disease after they are vaccinated.  More recently, it has become a kind of fad to not get vaccinated.  Celebrities are extremely vocal about their decisions related to vaccines.  

These outbreaks are ver concerning the CDC.  The CDC has reported that from January 1 to February 28, 2014assachusetts, Illinois and California there have been 54 cases of measles in Massachusetts, Illinois and California.  

As for the mumps, there have been 23 confirmed cases at Ohio State University.  Also, there was an outbreak on the University of California at Berkeley campus in 2011 where 29 cases were reported.  This outbreak is thought to have been the result of an unvaccinated student that had traveled to Western Europe.  There was another outbreak at Loyola University in Maryland in 2013 as well.  6,584 cases were reported in 2006 during a multi-state outbreak.

A study in 2013 reported California;s worst whooping cough outbreak.  This outbreak infected over 9,000 people.  There were many children that were not vaccinated against whooping cough, but scientists also believe that the outbreak could have been the result of a waning immunity to the vaccine.


The final disease that has reappeared recently is the chicken pox. Indiana experience a major outbreak with over 80 cases in 2012.  This outbreak was thought to have been started from an unvaccinated child.  It is possible for people who have been vaccinated to get the chicken pox as well because the vaccine is only 90% effective.

I chose this article because the title grabbed my attention.  I always find it interesting to learn about diseases that are making a comeback.  After reading this article, I can see where the people that do not get vaccinated are coming from, but I still think it is a good idea to do so.  We have come so far in our knowledge of diseases and vaccines that I think it is a little silly to not listen to the CDC.

This connects to class because there have always been conflicts related to vaccines.  For every disease we have studied, I find there is some excuse for people not getting vaccinated.  I also think it is important for people to realize that just because a disease has not been extremely prominent does not mean that we should not be ready for it to come back.

http://time.com/27308/4-diseases-making-a-comeback-thanks-to-anti-vaxxers/

 

 Recently in the new I found an article regarding a disease. On Friday March 7th a High School Senior, Ryan Fischer of Grandville High School died suddenly in his sleep. The disease Ryan had was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is an enlarged heart. We haven't tal;ked about this condition in Epidemic Disease but I felt that this was a good article to do with dieases recently. This shows the awareness of his sudden death. Fischer was a devoted athelete as co-captain of Grandville High School's Hockey Team, Captain of the Football Team, and member of the student athelete council. Fischer died in his sleep and was found unresponsive the next morning, Dr. David Start conducted an autopsy and it was found that he suffered an enlarged heart attack. The reason I am writing my blog post on this is because it raises awareness for the disease and the Fischer family.

My Response about this article when I first read it was very sad. It was heart-warming. The team was scheduled to play a semi-final tournament game, but they still played it even though they lost the most looked up to and most prized teammate that morning. In the article it said he was a leader, and hero who wanted to serve the country more than anything. One of his best friends Brendan said "I want my kids to be exactly like you. I just wish they could have met you so I could introduce them to a hero,". This article especially that part was very touching. From now on everyone should live life to the fullest, be kind, and say hi to people even if you don't know them. By reading this heart-warming story of Ryan Fischer being a hero people should be living their life with passion, love, and compassion because you never know when the time will come.


http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20140307/SPORTS/303070036/ryan-fischer-grandville-hockey-dies-sleep

HIV, AIDS, and the Geography of the Disease

 Today one of the most commonly known epidemic diseases facing the world is HIV/AIDS. It's horrible symptoms and life changing effects on those who become infected are
seen on popular television shows and in award winning movies such as Dallas Buyer's Club. This article brings the facts to the disease most students have heard of but probably don't know much about. North America and South America fall into the second highest level of AIDS cases per capita; only surpassed by the southern and western regions of Africa. Africa has a rate of about 1 in every 20 adults that are infected with AIDS. The Americas have a rate of about .05% but the global prevalence is about .08% of people are currently infected. This pandemic crosses oceans with equally destructive and rapid progression infecting and killing millions of people every year. As of 2011 1.7 million people died from AIDS related diseases and 34 million people were living with the disease. These statistics are staggering but these are just the cases of the people who have been tested or who live in areas where medical records are kept and reported to the World Health Organization.

This article by the Center for Disease Control focuses primarily on the rate of AIDS and HIV in the United States. Within the national rate there is a variation between states. The first part of this article shows in a colored chart shown below each states rate of AIDS infection in people ages 16-28 in 2008. States like New York, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, and Mississippi take the highest category with rates as high as .03% of the states population infected. Massachusetts falls in the Middle category with a rate somewhere in between .002-.0032%. The study shows that rates are higher in states that contain large metropolitan areas. AIDS and HIV are also known to be more prevalent in urban areas so states containing multiple cities have higher rates.

The second part of the article discusses how the disease is more pertinent in different ethnicities in different regions of the country. Black people hold the majority by far in all regions except for the West where White people have the highest rate with 39%. Some ethnicities may not seem to be as strongly effected but CDC says that they are faced with the epidemic with similar magnitude however their ethnicity may not have such a large holding in the community. The article goes on to describe how they are providing funding for the local government to help support communities where AIDS is a problem. They are also working to expand testing for HIV and AIDS and keeping people informed. These statistics are staggering but they are just the tip of the iceberg in some cases where communities where testing and treatment is not available.

This is relevant to what were learning in class because as we near to the present with the diseases we are studying we see how a disease can devastate people and a culture and yet it doesn't appear to be the biggest issue in the news. The deaths are not recognized for the tragedies that they are. With war and terrorism and shootings and bombings there are so many things to fear and study and fight. Yet disease gets swept under the rug when it has the highest death rate and effects millions of people every year. This information also shows how AIDS is a disease killing people in our country and some states have a serious problem on their hands. Looking at colleges all over the country its an interesting and concerning detail to know. Hopefully in years to come a cure can be found and better treatments will arise, and perhaps people will become more aware of the deadly killer that is in our back yard.

By: Courtney Driscoll

Article:

HIV and AIDS in the United States by Geographic Distribution

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/basics/geographicdistribution.html