Infectious diseases

1. Infectious Diseases
Program

2. Description
• In the recent past, the Philippines has seen many outbreaks of
emerging infectious diseases and it continues to be susceptible to
the threat of re-emerging infections such as leptospirosis, dengue,
meningococcemia, tuberculosis, HIV among. The current
situation emphasizes the risks and highlights the need to improve
preparedness at local, national and international levels for against
future pandemics. New pathogens will continue to emerge and
spread across regions and will challenge public health as never
before signifying grim repercussions and health burden. These
may cause countless morbidities and mortalities, disrupting trade
and negatively affect the economy.

3. • There are several social determinants contributing to the emergence of
novel infectious diseases and resurgence of controlled or eradicated
infectious diseases in our country. These contributing factors are
namely: (1) Demographic factors like the population distribution and
density, (2) international travel/ tourism and increased OFWs, (3)
Socio-economic factors and (4) Environmental factors. The latter
includes our country’s vulnerability to disasters, increased livestock
production, man- made ecological changes or industries and lastly the
urbanization which encroach and destroy the animal habitats.
•

4. • Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases are
unpredictable and create a gap between planning and
concrete action. To address this gap, there is a need to
come up with proactive systems that would ensure
preparedness and response in anticipation to negative
consequences that may result in pandemic proportions of
diseases. Proactive and multi- disciplinary preparedness
must be in place to reduce the impact of the public the
health threats.

5. Leptospirosis
• Leptospirosis is a rare bacterial infection we get from animals.
It’s spread through their urine, especially from dogs, rodents,
and farm animals. They may not have any symptoms, but they
can be carriers.
• In most cases, leptospirosis is unpleasant but not life-
threatening, like a case of the flu. It rarely lasts more than a
week. But about 10% of the time, when you have a severe form
of leptospirosis, you’ll get better, but then get sick again. This is
called Weil’s disease and it can cause much more serious issues,
like chest pain and swollen arms and legs. It often requires
hospitalization.

6. How Do I Get It?
• Leptospirosis is caused by a bacterium called Leptospira
interrogans. The organism is carried by many animals and lives
in their kidneys. It ends up in soil and water through their urine.
• If you’re around soil or water where an infected animal has
peed, the germ can invade your body through breaks in
your skin, like scratches, open wounds, or dry areas. It can also
enter through your nose, mouth, or genitals. It’s hard to get it
from another human, though it can be passed through sex
or breastfeeding.

7. Symptoms
• You usually start showing signs of leptospirosis within 2
weeks, though in some cases, symptoms may not show up
for a month or not at all.

8. Treatment and Prevention
• Leptospiros can be treated with antibiotics, including
penicillin and doxycycline, Your doctor may also
recommend ibuprofen for fever and muscle pain.

9. Dengue
• Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes
mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito
becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus
in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person
to another person.

10. Symptoms of Dengue Fever
• Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may
include
• Sudden, high fever
• Severe headaches
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe joint and muscle pain
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
• Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising

11. Treatment for Dengue Fever
• There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If
you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain
relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines
with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should
also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you
start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever
goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be
checked for complications.

12. Preventing Dengue Fever
• If you are living in or traveling to a tropical area. This
involves protecting yourself and making efforts to keep the
mosquito population down. In 2019, the FDA approved
a vaccine called Dengvaxia to help prevent the disease
from occurring in The best way to prevent the disease is to
prevent bites by infected mosquitoes, particularly if you
adolescents aged 9 to 16 who have already been infected
by dengue. But, there currently is no vaccine to prevent the
general population from contracting it.

13. Meningococcemia
• Meningococcemia is a rare infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria.
This is the same type of bacteria that can cause meningitis.
• When the bacteria infect the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, it’s
called meningitis. When the infection remains in the blood but doesn’t infect the
brain or spinal cord, it’s called meningococcemia.
• It’s also possible to have both meningitis and meningococcemia at the same time.
In this case, the bacteria appears in the bloodstream first and then passes into the
brain.
• Neisseria meningitidis bacteria are common in the upper respiratory tract and don’t
necessarily cause illness. Although anyone can get meningococcemia, it’s most
common in babies, children, and young adults.
• An infection by Neisseria meningitidis, whether it becomes meningitis or
meningococcemia, is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate
medical attention.

14. Symptoms of meningococcemia
• You may only have a few symptoms initially. Common early symptoms include:
• fever
• headache
• rash consisting of small spots
• nausea
• irritability
• anxiety
•
• As the disease progresses, you may develop more serious symptoms, including:
• blood clots
• patches of bleeding under your skin
• lethargy

15. How is meningococcemia
diagnosed?
• Meningococcemia is usually diagnosed through blood tests. Your doctor will take a
sample of your blood and then do a blood culture to determine if bacteria are
present.
• Your doctor may perform a culture using fluid from your spine instead of your
blood. In this case, the test is called a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Your
doctor will get CSF from a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture.
• Other tests your doctor might perform include:
• skin lesion biopsy
• urine culture
• blood clotting tests
• complete blood count (CBC)

16. How is meningococcemia treated?
• Meningococcemia must be treated immediately. You’ll be admitted to the hospital
and possibly kept in an isolated room to stop the bacteria from spreading.
• You’ll be given antibiotics through a vein to begin fighting the infection. You may
also receive intravenous (IV) fluids.
• Other treatments depend on the symptoms you’ve developed. If you’re
having difficulty breathing, you’ll receive oxygen. If your blood pressure
becomes too low, you’ll most likely receive medication. Fludrocortisone and
midodrine are two medications used to treat low blood pressure.
• Meningococcemia can lead to bleeding disorders. If this occurs, your doctor may
give you platelet replacement therapy.
• In some cases, your doctor may also wish to give your close contacts prophylactic
antibiotics, even if they show no symptoms. This can prevent them from
developing the disease. Prescribed antibiotics may include rifampin (Rifadin),
ciprofloxacin (Cipro), or ceftriaxone (Rocephin).

17. Tuberculosis
• Tuberculosis -- or TB, as it’s commonly called -- is a
contagious infection that usually attacks the lungs. It can
also spread to other parts of the body, like
the brain and spine. A type of bacteria
called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes it.
• Today, most cases are cured with antibiotics. But it takes a
long time. You have to take meds for at least 6 to 9
months.

18. How Does Tuberculosis Affect
Your Body?
• A TB infection doesn’t mean you’ll get sick. There are two forms of
the disease:
• Latent TB: You have the germs in your body, but your immune
system stops them from spreading. That means you don’t have any
symptoms and you’re not contagious. But the infection is still alive in
your body and can one day become active. If you are at high risk for
re-activation — for instance, you have HIV, your primary infection
was in the last 2 years, your chest X-ray is abnormal, or you are
immunocompromised --- your doctor will treat you with antibiotics to
lower the risk for developing active TB.
• Active TB disease: This means the germs multiply and can make you
sick. You can spread the disease to others. Ninety percent of adult
cases of active TB are from the reactivation of a latent TB infection.

19. • A TB infection doesn’t mean you’ll get sick. There are two forms of the
disease:
• Latent TB: You have the germs in your body, but your immune
system stops them from spreading. That means you don’t have any
symptoms and you’re not contagious. But the infection is still alive in your
body and can one day become active. If you are at high risk for re-
activation — for instance, you have HIV, your primary infection was in
the last 2 years, your chest X-ray is abnormal, or you are
immunocompromised --- your doctor will treat you with antibiotics to
lower the risk for developing active TB.
•
• Active TB disease: This means the germs multiply and can make you
sick. You can spread the disease to others. Ninety percent of adult
cases of active TB are from the reactivation of a latent TB infection.

20. • There aren’t any for latent TB. You’ll need to get a skin or blood test to find out if
you’re infected.
• But there are usually signs if you have active TB disease. They include:
• A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks
• Chest pain
• Coughing up blood
• Feeling tired all the time
• Night sweats
• Chills
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• If you experience any of these symptoms, see your doctor to get tested. Get medical
help right away if you have chest pain.

21. HIV
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks immune
cells called CD4 cells, which are a type of T cell.
• These are white blood cells that move around the body, detecting faults
and anomalies in cells as well as infections. When HIV targets and
infiltrates these cells, it reduces the body's ability to combat other
diseases.
• This increases the risk and impact of opportunistic infections
and cancers. However, a person can carry HIV without experiencing
symptoms for a long time.
• HIV is a lifelong infection. However, receiving treatment and
managing the disease effectively can prevent HIV from reaching a
severe level and reduce the risk of a person passing on the virus.

22. Causes
• People transmit HIV in bodily fluids, including:
• blood
• semen
• vaginal secretions
• anal fluids
• breast milk

23. Symptoms
• For the most part, infections by other bacteria, viruses,
fungi, or parasites cause the more severe symptoms of
HIV.
• These conditions tend to progress further in people who
live with HIV than in individuals with healthy immune
systems. A correctly functioning immune system would
protect the body against the more advanced effects of
infections, and HIV disrupts this process.

24. Early symptoms of HIV infection
• Sweats are an early sign of HIV, but many people do not know they have the disease for years.
• Some people with HIV do not show symptoms until months or even years after contracting the virus.
• However, around 80 percent of people may develop a set of flu-like symptoms known as acute retroviral syndrome around 2–6 weeks after the virus enters
the body.
• The early symptoms of HIV infection may include:
• fever
• chills
• joint pain
• muscle aches
• sore throat
• sweats. particularly at night
• enlarged glands
• a red rash
• tiredness
• weakness
• unintentional weight loss
• thrush
• These symptoms might also result from the immune system fighting off many types of viruses.
• However, people who experience several of these symptoms and know of any reason they might have been at risk of contracting HIV over the last 6 weeks
should take a test.

25. Asymptomatic HIV
• In many cases, after the symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome,
symptoms might not occur for many years.
• During this time, the virus continues to develop and cause immune
system and organ damage. Without medication that prevents the
replication of the virus, this slow process can continue for an average
of around 10 years.
• A person living with HIV often experiences no symptoms, feels well,
and appears healthy.
• Complying rigidly to a course of ART can disrupt this phase and
suppress the virus completely. Taking effective antiretroviral
medications for life can halt on-going damage to the immune system.

26. Late-stage HIV infection
• Without medication, HIV weakens the ability to fight infection. The person becomes vulnerable to serious illnesses. This stage is known as
AIDS or stage 3 HIV.
• Symptoms of late-stage HIV infection may include:
• blurred vision
• diarrhea, which is usually persistent or chronic
• dry cough
• a fever of over 100 °F (37 °C) lasting for weeks
• night sweats
• permanent tiredness
• shortness of breath, or dyspnea
• swollen glands lasting for weeks
• unintentional weight loss
• white spots on the tongue or mouth
• During late-stage HIV infection, the risk of developing a life-threatening illness increases greatly. A person with late-stage HIV can control,
prevent and treat serious conditions by taking other medications alongside HIV treatment.

27. Prevention
• Preventing OIs is key to extending life expectancy with late-stage HIV. Aside from managing
HIV viral load with medications, a person who lives with the disease must take precautions,
including the following steps:
• Wear condoms to prevent other STIs.
• Receive vaccinations for potential OIs. Discuss these with your primary care physician.
• Understand the germs in your surrounding environment that could lead to an OI. A pet cat, for
example, could be a source of toxoplasmosis. Limit exposure and take precautions, such as
wearing protective gloves while changing litter
• Avoid foods that are at risk of contamination, such as undercooked eggs, unpasteurized dairy
and fruit juice, or raw seed sprouts.
• Do not drink water straight from a lake or river or tap water in certain foreign countries. Drink
bottled water or use water filters.
• Ask your doctor about work, home, and vacation activities to limit exposure to potential OIs.
• Antibiotic, antifungal, or antiparasitic drugs can help treat an OI.

28. HIV blood tests and results
• A doctor can test for HIV using a specific blood test. A positive result
means that they have detected HIV antibody in the bloodstream. The
blood is re-tested before a positive result is given.
• After potential exposure to the virus, early testing and diagnosis is
crucial and greatly improves the chances of successful treatment.
Home testing kits are also available.
• HIV might take 3 - 6 months to show up in testing, and re-testing may
be necessary for a definitive diagnosis. People at risk of infection
within the last 6 months can have an immediate test. The test provider
will normally recommend another test within a few weeks.