Chicken Flu (Bird Flu)

The Chicken flu is an avian flu that can affect humans. It is deadly and has been reported in Southeast Asia. The first cases were reported in Hong Kong.

Efforts to make a vaccine have not been very successful and currently scientists are working on a new vaccine made out of chicken eggs. The procedure involves replacing the deadly gene of the virus's eight genes with a harmless one from other strains.

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Hong Kong Flu

The Hong Kong Flu was a pandemic outbreak of influenza that began in Hong Kong in 1968 and spread to the United States of America that year. The outbreak ended the following year, in 1969.

Although there was an outbreak of avian influenza in Hong Kong in early 1968, the Hong Kong flu was actually the A type of regular influenza, specifically the first known outbreak of the H3N2 strain (a notation that refers to the configuration of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins in the virus).

Because of its similarity to the 1957 Asian Flu (which was the H2N2 strain, differing from the Hong Kong flu only in the chemical arrangement of the hemagglutinin protein as a result of antigenic shift) and possibly the subsequent accumulation of related antibodies in the affected population, the Hong Kong flu resulted in much fewer casualties than most pandemics: it is estimated that only 750,000 people died of the virus worldwide (34,000 people in the United States) during the two years (1968-1969) that it was active. It was therefore the least lethal pandemic in the 20th century.

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Spanish Flu (Swine Flu)

Swine Flu is a form of influenza. Although swine flu is normally virulent only in pigs, it is thought to have crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic. Estimates of the worldwide death toll from the Spanish Flu range up to 100 million people. The death toll was particularly high among young, healthy adults.

In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. The next day, he was dead and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death.

Despite the fact that only one person died, alarmed public health officials decided that action must be taken to head off a major pandemic and they urged that every person in the United States be vaccinated for the disease. The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems but about 24 percent of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was cancelled.

The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the "swine flu" itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.

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Influenza

Influenza (or as it is commonly known, the flu or the grippe) is a contagious disease caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family. It rapidly spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, imposing considerable economic burden in the form of health care costs and lost productivity. Major genetic changes in the virus have caused three flu pandemics in the 20th century, killing many millions of people. The name comes from the old medical belief in unfavourable astrological influences as the cause of the disease.

Flu Symptoms

The virus attacks the respiratory tract, is transmitted from person to person by saliva droplets expelled by coughing, and causes the following symptoms of the flu:

• Fever
• Headache
• Tiredness (can be extreme)
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Irritated eyes
• Body aches
• Extreme coldness

Flu's effects are much more severe and last longer than those of the cold. Recovery takes about one to two weeks. Flu symptoms can be deadly, especially for the weak, old or chronically ill. Some flu pandemics have killed millions of people.

Most people who get the flu will recover in one to two weeks, but others will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia). Millions of people in the United States (about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents) are infected with influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year are admitted to a hospital as a result of influenza. Even healthy people can be affected, and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus, and ear infections are four examples of such complications.

Symptoms of the flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.

Prevention

It is possible to get vaccinated against influenza, however, due to the high mutability of the virus a particular flu vaccine formulation usually only works for about a year. The World Health Organization co-ordinates the contents of the vaccine each year to contain the most likely strains of the virus to attack the next year. The flu vaccine is usually recommended for anyone in a high-risk group who would be likely to suffer complications from influenza.

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Ringworm

Ringworm (Tinea, ring worm), is a fungal infection of the skin which is considered contagious. It is common among children, and may be spread via contact with contaminated items such as clothing, hairbrushes, and bedding, as well as via skin to skin contact.

Ringworm spreads easily, as those infected are contagious even before they show symptoms of ringworm. Humans can contract ringworm from animals; cats and dogs are often carriers.

ringworm symptoms and diagnosis

The most well known ring worm symptoms are the appearance of one or more red raised itchy patch with defined edges. These patches are often lighter in the center, taking on the appearance of a ring. If the infected area involves the scalp or beard area, then bald patches may become evident. When the nails are affected, they may thicken, become discolor, and finally crumble.

Doctors can diagnose ringworm on sight, or they may take a skin scraping. This is examined under a microscope, or put on an agar plate in a microbiology laboratory and allowed to grow.

Ringworm symptoms usually present within 10 to 14 days of exposure. As ring worm grows, the rash may start out looking like a small dot, and eventually opens up into a larger rash. Many people report that ringworm is extremely itchy, but this is not a requirement.

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