Major modern diseases such as Ebola virus disease and influenza are zoonoses. Zoonoses can be caused by a range of disease pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. When humans infect other animals; it is called reverse zoonosis or anthroponosis. It can cause deadly diarrhea and be fatal to the malnourished or people with weakened immunity. In Nepal, we have been facing fluctuating weather conditions – it is harshly humid and hot one day, and raining heavily the next.
In mild forms, symptoms of leptospirosis include fever, headache, and muscle aches. Severe leptospirosis causes jaundice, kidney dysfunction, and bleeding; this triad of symptoms is referred to as Weil’s disease. Severe leptospirosis can also present with pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleed from the lungs, which may or may not be accompanied by jaundice. Leptospirosis is distributed globally; however, it is most common in tropical and subtropical regions. It’s estimated that leptospirosis affects one million people a year, with 10% of infected people dying of the infection.
Although the immediate effects of Category 5 hurricanes are shocking, resulting in floodwaters carry more insidious threats such as waterborne disease. A review of 548 outbreaks dating back to 1900 showed that 51% of these outbreaks were preceded by heavy downpours. Amoebiasis, or amebiasis, refers to infection caused by the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica.
Our team of medical experts are also experienced in Travel Medicine should you suffer from any illness while travelling or trekking in Nepal. Water-related diseases are highly preventable and can be avoided altogether if proper attention is given. While most strains are harmless, others can make you sick with diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. Without treatment the disease can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, and respiratory distress. It is spread from person-to-person by hand-to-mouth transfer of cysts from the feces of an infected individual.
In cases of severe disease, kidney dysfunction needs to be treated with short-term dialysis. It’s important to treat leptospirosis with antibiotics to prevent organ failure. Patients should be treated as soon as possible before organ failure occurs. Leptospirosis can be treated with a broad range of antibiotics, including, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, or doxycycline.
Creation of “green spaces” and the responsible use of the natural resources are at the core of sustenance. The most common of all water-borne diseases, diarrhea, mainly affects children below five years of age. The symptoms include dizziness, dehydration, pale skin, and loss of consciousness in severe cases. It usually lasts for a couple of weeks and can turn out to be fatal if it goes untreated. Changing weather patterns and decreased food availability in water for leper colony the developing world can lead to increased desertification, and increase the need for above-ground irrigation.
Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella typhi bacteria transmitted via contaminated water. The patients typically suffer from prolonged episodes of fever, loss of appetite, nausea, headache, constipation, and loss of body weight. Prompt attention is needed to cure typhoid in the patient, as well as to prevent the spread of this contagious disease.
Environmental pollutants can synergistically interact with climatic conditions and exacerbate exposure of human populations. Infrastructure improvements and environmental protection can attenuate potential negative consequences of climate change from water-borne diseases. Foodborne and waterborne diseases are illnesses caused by bacteria that are present in contaminated food and water sources.
Specimen sites provide insight into the type of infections cases may have experienced. Cholera is another waterborne disease, caused by bacteria, that spawns epidemic health problems in much of the developing world—especially in Asia and Africa. Cholera can cause deadly diarrhea and, though many people survive infection, it can be a particularly dangerous disease for the malnourished. Serious outbreaks of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis have occurred in cities with excellent water-treatment facilities and are of major concern in the water industry. Therefore, every effort must be made to minimize human contact with reclaimed water that may contain any of these pathogens. Of particular concern is the possibility of pathogens being carried in aerosols emitted by spray irrigation inasmuch as aerosols in the 2–5mm size are primarily removed in the respiratory tract.