Typhoid fever is caused by an organism called Sulmonella Typhi which is transmitted from the faeces and urine of a disease carrier. And only lack of hygeine such as not washing hands before eating or cooking or consuming contaminated food can lead to typhoid. Clinically, it is characterised by continuous fever for three to four… [ Continue Reading ]
Preventive Medicine »
Some preventive health ideas and suggestions to put the adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ into practice for your family. Some simple preventive health ideas.
Food Poisoning
Food poisoning has become very common in recent years. This is largely due to the absence of control over the quality of food available in the market. A lot of people prefer packed foods and cold meat which can easily get contaminated. Be very careful when you are buying meat. Often, infected farm animals land… [ Continue Reading ]
Amoebiasis
Amoebiasis refers to harbouring the parasite Entamoeba histolytica with or without clinical manifestations. It is a common infection of the human gastro-intestinal tract and is quite common in India and other developing countries. Sometimes, it is also present outside the intestines and may affect the liver (liver abscess), lungs, brain, spleen and skin. Transmission Most… [ Continue Reading ]
Birth of Preventive Medicine
Preventive medicine developed as a branch of modern medicine distinct from public health in the 18th century. It all began with a landmark breakthrough — the discovery of a vaccine against small pox. Preventive medicine got a firm foothold in the 19th century when the causative agents of many diseases were discovered and the germ… [ Continue Reading ]
Concept of Health
Traditionally, the world of medicine understands health as an absence of disease. But today, the understanding of this term has evolved from being an individual concern to a worldwide social goal, encompassing human development indices like the quality of life. Health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity; it is a state of… [ Continue Reading ]
Yellow Fever
Yellow Fever looks a lot like dengue haemorrhagic fever and is transmitted by Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. It also affects monkeys and other vertebrates and is caused by a virus called Flavivirus Fibricus. A patient suffering from yellow fever remains infective during the first three to four days of illness and a mosquito becomes infective after… [ Continue Reading ]
Rubella
Rubella or German measles is manifested in a mild, benign form among children. However, if a pregnant woman gets infected, it can cause some serious congenital defects in the child. Causative agent Rubella is caused by an RNA virus. The virus has been recovered from the nasopharynx, throat, blood, CSF and urine. Source of infection… [ Continue Reading ]