VARIOUS WAYS IN THE PREVENTION OF FATAL FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
An Academic presentation byDr. Nancy Agens, Head, Technical Operations, Pubrica Group: www.pubrica.comEmail: [email protected]
In brief
Introduction
Personal Preventions
Societal Preventions
Myth buster
Conclusion
Outline of Topics
Today's Discussion
Fever is one of the most commonly seen symptoms in patients.The diagnostic strategy of patients with Fever is well established even with the Fever of unknown origin. Petersdorf and Beeson
initially defined Fever of unknown origin (pyrexia) in 1961 as body temperature higher than 38.3oC on several occasions,
accompanied by more than three weeks of illness and failure to reach a diagnosis after one week of inpatient investigation.
In Brief
In medical service, it remains one of the most difficult diagnostic challenges.
It may arise due to many reasons, e.g., infections, inflammatory/rheumatic,malignant or neoplastic invasions, and miscellaneous disorders.
It may also occur in organ transplants and immunodeficiency disorders.
Contagious Fever is caused by bacteria, viruses or any other infection.
Majority of the times, Fever of unknown origin is infectious by nature, followed byneoplastic and rheumatic causes.
Contd..
Introduction
Fig 1: Prevention of fever of unknown origin
Personal Preventions
Make sure vaccinations are up to date. While travelling, check for additionalvaccinations if required.
Stay inside home.
Hands should be regularly washed with soap and water for atleast 20 seconds, especially after using the washroom, before eating, and after blowing the nose, coughing or sneezing, before and after cooking, after handling animal or animal wastes.
Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with atleast 60% alcohol, post handwash.
Cover oneself when someone sneezes or coughs while in proximity.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.Contd..
Use personal protective equipment like face masks, gloves. Dispose of them immediately after use.
Do not share personal items like toothbrush, comb or razor blade.
Disinfect infection-prone areas in your house like kitchen and bathroom, as they harbour high concentrations of bacteria and infectious agents.
Maintain atleast 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Seek medical help early if you get mild symptoms like Fever, cough, difficult breathing.
Societal Preventions
People should be quarantined inside their home by authorities.
Schools and public offices need to close at the time of transmission.
Avoid face to face meetings, instead telephonic conversations.
Any Fever should be reported immediately to the nearest healthcare centre.
Illegal trade of wild animals and poultry products need to be banned.
People travelling from one place to another should be quarantined approximately for two weeks in case of spread of unknown Fever
Myth buster
Antibiotics do not work against viruses, but only bacteria.
Spraying of alcohol or chlorine does not kill the infective biological agent that has already entered the human body.
UV sterilization was not advisable for hand, as they cause irritation.
Hand dryers are not effective in killing infective agents.
In Clinical Research, older people with pre-existing medical conditions are more vulnerable to contracting the illness.
Overall, public health laws can help in medical,control the spread of Fever of unknown origin.
Preventive measures like screening, education, counselling and other strategies help in minimizing the spread of Fever.
The balance between the public’s health and private rights of citizens transparently and ethically should be maintained to overcome the spread of Fever of unknown origin.
Conclusion
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