Ebola: What do we know? Part 2

American aid workers recently were diagnosed with the Ebola virus. Interest is high with this deadly disease and many people have many questions about the real threat of a global crisis involving the Ebola virus. What we Know: The symptoms of the disease can include headaches, fever, muscle aches, sore throat, and diarrhea. In severe…

Pneumonia: Bacterial and Viral Infections (From Centers for Disease Control website)

Bacterial and viral infections have many things in common. Both types of infections are caused by microbes — bacteria and viruses, respectively — and spread by things such as: Coughing and sneezing. Contact with infected people, especially through kissing and sex. Contact with contaminated surfaces, food, and water. Contact with infected creatures, including pets, livestock,…

Tax Season Scams

Are you aware of tax season scams? I found this article in the February 15, 2015, Arizona Republic, timely and a reminder to beware! These are the 12 top tax scams listed by the IRS. The number one tax scam going is the phone scam… There has been a surge in aggressive and threatening phone…

Bubonic Plaguer: The 411-First and second recorded Outbreaks-Part 4

The first recorded outbreak: The first recorded epidemic ravaged the Byzantine Empire during the sixth century, and was named the Plague of Justinian after emperor Justinian I, who was infected but survived through extensive treatment.  The epidemic is estimated to have killed approximately 50 million people in the Roman Empire alone. The historian Procopius wrote,…

Bubonic Plague: The 411 How is it Treated? Part 3

Several classes of antibiotics are effective in treating bubonic plague. These include aminoglycosides such as streptomycin and gentamicin, tetracyclines (especially doxycycline), and the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin. Mortality associated with treated cases of bubonic plague is about 1–15%, compared to a mortality of 40–60% in untreated cases. People potentially infected with the plague need immediate treatment and…

Bubonic Plague the 411 Part 1

Bubonic plague Bubonic plague is a zoonotic disease, circulating mainly in fleas on small rodents, and is one of three types of bacterial infections caused by Yersinia pestis (formerly known as Pasteurella pestis), that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Without treatment, the bubonic plague kills about two thirds of infected humans within four days. The…