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In tropical regions of Africa, frequently subject to social and political upheavals, there is a present threat of typhus epidemics, as shown by the recent typhus outbreak in Burundi in 1997. Epidemic typhus should be expected in certain conditions such as: famine, war, high-density populations (refugee camps, prisons), the presence of body louse in the clothing, and in the presence of certain clinical findings. Symptoms include severe infectious syndrome (temperature above 38 C), severe pain and muscle weakness, with coughing and severe neurological signs. The rapid diagnosis and treatment of typhus are es
Milder symptoms of louse-borne typhus can occur years after the primary attack Cleanliness is important in preventing body louse infestations. The body louse that causes this lives in clothing and multiplies very rapidly under poor hygienic conditions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. The prognosis has improved, thanks to the specific antibiotics that are currently available, particularly doxycycline, prescribed as a single oral dose of 200 mg for adults or of 100 mg for children. In Ethiopia, the number of annual cases reported annually has ranged between 7,000 and 17, although most have not been confirmed in a laboratory. Outbreaks occur in colder areas where people live in crowded, not hygenic, louse-infested conditions. Since World War II, large outbreaks of typhus have occurred mainly in Africa, with reported cases coming f!rom three other countries: Burundi, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Lice proliferate rapidly in refugee camps and other crowded, unsanitary conditions and the risk can be expected to increase in rainy seasons, when more clothing and blankets are used. The case-fatality rate is between 1% and 20%. Typhus epidemics could be effectively predicted and limited if the measures for contro!l of the body louse recommended by the World Health Organization were applied in the areas with the most favorable epidemiological conditions. Epidemic Typhus is characterized by the sudden appearance of headaches, chills, prostration, high fever, coughing and severe muscular pain. However, the prognosis still depends to a large extent on the speed of diagnosis. The easiest control method of occasional infestations is to expose infested clothing to a minimum temperature of 70 degrees C for at least one hour. In the past, it was associated with wars and human disasters and it is still endemic in the highlands and cold areas of Africa, Asia and Central and South America.
Common topics in this essay:
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Rwanda Ethiopia,
Epidemic Typhus,
Health Organization,
War II,
body louse,
epidemic typhus,
typhus epidemics,
coughing severe,
refugee camps,
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Acceptance Essays
