HLTA01
Plagues and People:
Chapter 1
Nature of Plagues
- Legionnaires disease was feared as an epidemic
- Air was implicated as the probable pathway of spread of the disease (aspiration of
bacteria – legionella)
- Aspiration is produced by choking
o Symptoms
High fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and pains
Dry coughs, chest pains, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea
Fluid filled lungs with pus, confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, loss
of memory
- Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) – possibly spread through STD’s
o Symptoms
Nausea, chills, diarrhea, headache, and sore throat
High temperature, fast heart beat, increasing red rash, fallen blood
pressure, and brownish discharge in pelvic exam
- Multi organ failure
o Low blood pressure, hepatitis, renal insufficiency, internal blood clots
o Apparently caused by a certain brand of tampons (carboxymethyl cellulose with
polyester)
- SARS – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
o Symptoms
Fever, dry cough, sore throat, headache, difficulty breathing
o 8000+ cases and over 800 deaths in 27 countries (every continent)
- Diseases are more likely to spread now due to advances in technology as well as growth
in population
Living Off
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