Tsunami of Infectious Diseases

Blount County, TN has been hit with a soaring amount of infectious diseases. Schools have been depleated and cancelling classes because of all the students missing due to illness. Dr. Andrew Smith said that in the past couple of weeks there have been three to four times as many people that need to be seen the same day they call in for acute illnesses that must be treated. The diseases that people have been calling in about have ranged from strep throat to the flu to very high fevers with flu-like symptoms. All of these diseases are highly infectious and are being passed around from person to person. The article (http://www.thedailytimes.com/Blount_Life/story/Tidal_wave_of_infectious_disease_washes_over_Blount_id_007559) goes over many myths and realitys of viruses and what to do if one enters your body.

This article stood out to me because all of these infections are so contagious that they could spread all the way to Massachusetts if not handled quickly. It also stood out to me because some of the myths talk about the differences between bacteria and viruses and also how to handle them. It also makes you realize how easy it can be to catch a virus from someone near you. It shows that prevention is the best way to avoid getting sick with a disease. These can be very hard to avoid but things like washing your hands constantly and keeping your immune system up may help.