What Is an Infectious Disease?
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that mostly get into the human body from the outside. Many organisms survive in and around the human body, which is generally harmless, but under certain conditions, these organisms may be harmful and cause disease. An individual can acquire infections from person to person, from infected animals or birds, or from contaminated food, water, or soil. Insects or other animals transmit some.
And a person may get them by consuming contaminated food or water or being exposed to environmental organisms. These infectious diseases can be grouped into three categories: diseases causing high levels of mortality, diseases causing heavy burdens of disability in the human population, and diseases causing rapid and unexpected spread that can have serious global repercussions.
The signs and symptoms of infectious diseases can vary depending on the organism causing the infection. However, most infections include fever and fatigue. If the infection is mild, adequate rest and home remedies may be helpful, but some infections may be life-threatening and require hospitalization. Also, many infectious diseases, such as chicken pox, rubella, measles, etc., can be prevented by vaccines.
How Are Rare Infectious Diseases Treated in the Emergency Department?
The Ebola virus is a rare contagious disease with a high mortality rate. This disease was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ebola virus is mainly caused by the four ebolavirus species, such as Zaire ebolavirus (causes Ebola virus disease), Sudan ebolavirus (causes Sudan virus disease), Taï Forest ebolavirus (causes Taï Forest virus disease), and Bundibugyo virus (causes Bundibugyo virus disease). The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with:
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Ebola virus-infected person's blood or body fluids such as stool, saliva, semen, sweat, urine, vomit, or breast milk.
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Objects such as needles, syringes, clothes, or sheets are contaminated with the virus.
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Through infected animals when preparing, cooking, or eating.
The symptoms may appear between 2 and 21 days after contact with an ebolavirus. However, the symptoms may appear over an average of 8 to 10 days. The signs and symptoms of Ebola diseases include fever, weakness, fatigue, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat, red eyes, skin rash, unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding, or bruising, and gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The mainstay of treatment for the Ebola virus is early recognition of infection, effective isolation to minimize transmission, and supportive care in a hospital setting. In the emergency department, the patient will be checked for the symptoms of Ebola and should be asked a few initial screening questions, such as
- Has the individual traveled from one of the Ebola-affected areas?
- Cared for any person affected by the Ebola virus?
- Contact with a person with Ebola within the last 21 days?
- History of fever.
If the Ebola virus is suspected, the patient should be isolated in a single room with a private bathroom. Then, an Ebola test is advised for confirmation.
For all types of Ebola, supportive treatments are provided to save a life, like the following:
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Oral or intravenous fluids and electrolytes.
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Blood transfusions.
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Providing medicines to treat pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
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Management of other infections if they occur.
What Is the Treatment for Anthrax?
Anthrax is a rare and deadly infectious disease. The contagious agent causing anthrax is Bacillus anthracis, which is naturally present in the soil and commonly affects animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and deer. Humans are affected by anthrax when they come into contact with infected animals. Humans get infected with anthrax when the spores enter the body; as they enter the body, they get activated and become anthrax bacteria, causing severe illness. The spores enter the body through breathing, cutting or scraping the skin, or consuming spore-contaminated food or water.
Depending on the type of infection, the symptoms vary. Symptoms may appear on the first day or can take even two months to appear after the exposure.
The symptoms include:
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Cutaneous Symptoms - Appearance of small blisters or bumps, swelling around the sore, or painless skin ulcer with a black center appearing after the small blisters or bumps.
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Inhalation Symptoms - Symptoms include fever and chills, shortness of breath, headache, chest discomfort, cough, confusion or dizziness, extreme tiredness, nausea and vomiting or stomach pains, sweats, and body aches.
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Gastrointestinal Symptoms - Symptoms include nausea and bloody vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, hoarseness, painful swallowing, and swelling of the abdomen.
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Injection Symptoms - Symptoms include a small group of blisters or bumps appearing where the drug was injected, fever and chills, and a painless skin ulcer.
The treatment for anthrax in the emergency department is the rapid initiation of intravenous antibiotic therapy. The patients can be hospitalized with barrier nursing procedures and secretion precautions such as special handling of potentially infectious dressings and excretions.
What Is the Treatment for Mpox?
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus called monkeypox, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. It leads to rashes, swollen lymph nodes, and flu-like symptoms. There are two different types of mpox virus, Clade I (which originated in Central Africa) and Clade II (which originated in West Africa).
This infection spreads through close contact with an infected person or animal:
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Touching, kissing, or having sex with an infected person.
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Hunting, skinning, or cooking an infected animal.
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Anything contaminated with an infected person's body fluid or blood.
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Pregnant women may pass the virus on to their fetus.
The signs and symptoms usually begin within one to 21 days after exposure. The common symptoms of mpox include a rash, headache, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. The symptoms generally last two to four weeks but may also last longer in people with weakened immune systems.
The aim of treating mpox is to treat the rashes, prevent their further occurrence, manage pain, and prevent complications. Early supportive care is necessary to help treat symptoms and avoid further complications. Antiviral drugs like Cidofovir or Tecovirimat are approved drug for treating other viral infections like smallpox and are generally used for mpox treatment. However, more studies are required about its effectiveness in treating mpox.
Emergency medicine clinicians will mainly be involved in vaccination strategies. They mainly vaccinate people directly exposed to a patient confirmed or suspected of monkeypox. The post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) strategy effectively prevents infection if the vaccine is administered in the correct period, that is, within four days of exposure.
Conclusion:
Most infectious diseases are contagious, and some can even be fatal. A correct diagnosis and treatment strategy should be required in rare infectious disease cases to prevent complications and the spread of infection in the community. Emergency department clinicians play an important role in initial diagnosis, isolation of the patient, supportive therapy, and controlling the further spread of contagious infectious diseases.
