Some of these illnesses have unique features which make them particularly difficult to track as subjects of surveillance. For example, Lyme tests are often unreliable. Also, "many viruses and bacteria cause nonspecific syndromes or symptom complexes that include most diarrheal and respiratory symptoms" (Ritz, Tager, & Balms 2005). This is also true of tracking the efficacy of treatments: "in cases where there are long delays between the implementation of an intervention and the reduction in disease incidence or morbidity, it may be difficult to quantitate precisely (or even accurately) the extent to which the intervention altered the outcome of the disease" (Ritz, Tager, & Balms 2005). This is particularly manifest in treatments which are multifaceted and are taken over time (like AIDS 'drug cocktails') or require environmental controls to be effective (like preventing malaria or other mosquito-borne illnesses). However, despite the innate challenges in tracking diseases, a number of new trends have emerged to enhance the capacity of government agencies to do so. One is through technology: a recent study of patterns of Google searches for influenza-like illness, gastroenteritis, and chickenpox found that "one well-chosen...
This strong correlation is important given that these particular diseases are often not treated by medical professionals and thus may go 'under the radar' of detection as the patient recuperates and self-treats at home. Internet search engine use can thus be a powerful way to remedy some of the problems of underreporting of specific illnesses.
The Interplay Between Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, and Communicable DiseasesThe transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) marked a significant evolution in the global framework for addressing pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. Both sets of goals are interrelated and pertinent to the discussion of communicable diseases (Fehling et al., 2013). The prevention, management, and eventual eradication of communicable diseases pivot significantly
The book Rabies, edited by Alan C. Jackson and William H. Wunner is critically reviewed in a peer publication. Rabies is a "comprehensive" discussion about a major global disease, focusing on the history of the disease from ancient times, diagnostic evaluation of animal and human cases, immunological responses to the virus, and public health management recommendations. The reviewer recommends the book for its multidisciplinarity. 8. Scatterday, James E.; Schneider, Nathan J.;
(Worcestershire Diabetes: a New model of care Stakeholder event, 2007) The continuum of care for the diabetic patient is shown in the following illustration labeled Figure 1. Diabetes: Continuum of Care Source: Worcestershire Diabetes: a New model of care Stakeholder event (2007) The continuum of care for diabetes begins at the moment that the individual is found to have diabetes and continues across the individual's health care providers and across the varying stages
In a weird way, that's good news" (Caldwell, 2003, p. 29). Conclusion The research showed that Staphylococcus aureus is a particularly challenging pathogen for clinicians seeking to prevent nosocomial infections in their patients. Over time, S. aureus has shown itself capable of mutating into various resistant strains that make treating it much like trying to hit a moving target. Further, the incidence of infections by S. aureus were found to be
Technology Use Definition and How Technology Has Aided Development of Surveillance Positives and Negatives Underlying Ethical Dilemma Legal Recourse Available in Australia Suggested Solutions Definition and How Technology Has Aided Development of Surveillance We are presently living in the information age, which can be deemed as an epoch, where numerous aspects in the society are information based. This is owing to the fact that in recent years, there has been extensive advancement in technology. One of the
The response by the United States to biorisk management at the national level provides a useful example of what can be accomplished with the right resources and vision. For instance, in December 2009, the U.S. government published its "National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats," representing the basic framework for the U.S. response to emerging bioterrorism threats. In the State of the Union address in 2010, President Barack Obama mentioned the
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