Spring is the season for diseases, especially infectious diseases. Common infectious diseases include: influenza, epidemic encephalomyelitis, measles, chickenpox, mumps, rubella, scarlet fever, etc. Most of these infectious diseases are respiratory infections, which can be spread by air, short-distance droplets or contact with respiratory secretions.
Common infectious diseases in spring.
1.Influenza (Influenza)
Influenza for short, acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus, with strong contagious, its incidence accounted for the first infectious disease.
Incubation period of 1-3 days, the main symptoms are fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, dry cough, general muscle, joint pain and discomfort, fever generally lasts 3-4 days, but also the performance of heavier pneumonia or gastrointestinal type of influenza.
The source of infection is mainly the patient and the latent infected person, and the infectious period is 1 week. Transmission is mainly through direct airborne droplet transmission, but also indirectly through objects contaminated with the virus. The human population is generally susceptible to influenza.
2.Influenza (epidemic meningomyelitis)
Epidemic encephalomyelitis is referred to as influenza, which is an acute respiratory infection caused by meningococcal meningitis, and is highly contagious. The initial onset of influenza resembles a cold, with a runny nose, cough, headache, and fever.
After the germs enter the cerebrospinal fluid, headache increases, drowsiness, neck tonicity, jet-like vomiting and coma shock and other critical symptoms.
The source of infection is mainly patients or carriers, the transmission route is mainly direct airborne droplet transmission, incubation period is generally 2-3 days, the longest for a week. The incubation period is usually 2-3 days, with the longest being one week. The population is generally susceptible, with a high incidence in children of young age.
3. Measles
Measles is an acute infectious disease caused by the measles virus, with an incubation period of 8-12 days, and is generally curable in about 10 days. The typical clinical symptoms can be summarized as “three, three, three”, that is, the prodromal period of 3 days: 3 days before the rash appears about 38 degrees of moderate fever, accompanied by cough, runny nose, lacrimation, photophobia, oral and cheek mucous membranes appear gray-white dots (this is characteristic); rash period of 3 days: day 4-5 of the course of the disease temperature rises to about 40 degrees, red spots Papules from the head and gradually to the trunk, upper limbs, lower limbs; recovery period of 3 days: 3-4 days after the rash, body temperature gradually returned to normal, the rash began to fade, the skin remains sugar bran-like flaking and brown pigmentation. Measles is spread through the respiratory droplet route, and the patient is the only source of infection.
The patient is the only source of infection. Durable immunity can be obtained after the disease, and a second attack is rare. People who have not had measles and have not been vaccinated against measles are generally susceptible, especially young children aged 6 months to 5 years have the highest incidence (90%).
4.Rubella
Rubella is an acute respiratory infection caused by the rubella virus. It develops 2 to 3 weeks after the virus invades the body. Clinical manifestations include low fever, chills, headache, runny nose, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, and swollen lymph nodes behind the ears and in the occipital region.
Rubella patients are the source of infection and are infectious for 5 days before and after rash onset. The virus is carried in nasopharyngeal secretions, blood and urine of patients and is mainly spread by airborne droplets. The disease is most common in children aged 1 to 5 years, but can also occur in adults, and is more frequent in winter and spring, with lasting immunity.
Susceptible people should avoid crowded places as much as possible; schools, childcare institutions and other population centers should pay attention to ventilation and disinfect the indoor air frequently; children over 1 year old, women of childbearing age and other susceptible people can be vaccinated with live attenuated rubella vaccine for prevention.
5. Chickenpox
It is an acute respiratory infection caused by varicella zoster virus, with clinical manifestations of low to moderate fever and the rapid appearance of red papules in batches. The papules, blisters, and crusts often exist together clinically. After receiving regular treatment, the disease is usually cured in 7 to 10 days if there are no co-infections.
The patient is the main source of infection, the virus exists in the patient’s upper respiratory tract nasopharyngeal secretions and herpes fluid, spread by droplets and direct contact, but also through contact with the chickenpox virus contaminated eating utensils, toys, bedding and towels, etc. 1 before the rash to the herpes completely crusted are infectious, the population is generally susceptible, children are more common. As the disease is highly contagious, patients must be isolated early until all the rashes are dry and crusted over. Chickenpox can be prevented by vaccination.
6.Mumps
Mumps is an acute respiratory infection caused by the mumps virus. It can occur throughout the year, but mainly in winter and spring. Pain in the zygomatic arch or ear appears 1 to 2 days after onset, followed by swelling of the salivary glands and a rise in body temperature of up to 40°C.
Usually, the swelling of the parotid gland on one side is followed by the involvement of the opposite side 2 to 4 days later. The virus can be isolated from saliva from 7 days before to 9 days after the swelling of the parotid gland, and is mainly transmitted by droplets. There is a long-lasting immunity after the disease. Susceptible individuals are immunized with mumps vaccine.
The route of transmission is the pathway through which the pathogen leaves the source of infection and reaches a healthy person. The main ways of pathogen transmission are: airborne, waterborne, dietary, contact, and biologically mediated. The following is an example of the epidemic of influenza to illustrate the three basic aspects of the epidemic of infectious diseases.
When a person with influenza speaks, coughs or sneezes, a large amount of droplets containing influenza virus will be emitted from the nasopharynx and suspended in the air, and after people around inhale this air with virus, the virus enters the respiratory tract and may cause influenza. It can be seen that the infectious source of influenza is mainly influenza patients, the transmission route is droplets, airborne, susceptible people can include most people. So, how to prevent infectious diseases?
General measures to prevent infectious diseases: When an epidemic of an infectious disease is in progress, the epidemic can be terminated by cutting off any of the three basic links. The various measures that we take to prevent infectious diseases are all directed at one of the three basic links respectively. Therefore, the general measures to prevent infectious diseases can also be divided into the following three aspects for the three basic links of infectious disease epidemics.
1. Control the source of infection
Many infectious diseases are already contagious before they begin to develop, and are most contagious when the symptoms of the infectious disease are manifested at the beginning of the disease.
Therefore, infectious patients should be detected as early as possible, early diagnosis, early reporting, early treatment, early isolation, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Animals with infectious diseases are also sources of infection and should also be dealt with in a timely manner. This is an important measure to prevent infectious diseases.
2.Cut off the transmission route
The main method to cut off the transmission route is to pay attention to personal hygiene and environmental hygiene. Eliminate the vector organisms that spread diseases, carry out some necessary disinfection work, etc., can make the pathogens lose the opportunity to infect healthy people.
3.Protect the susceptible
During the epidemic of infectious diseases, attention should be paid to the protection of susceptible people, do not let susceptible people come into contact with the source of infection, and vaccination to improve the resistance of susceptible people. For the susceptible people themselves, they should actively participate in sports, exercise and strengthen their resistance to disease. Patriotic health campaigns, good environmental and personal hygiene, and the elimination of flies, graves, rats, bedbugs and other animals that spread diseases or illnesses can play a big role in controlling the epidemic of infectious diseases. Different infectious diseases have different treatment methods, but the basic preventive measures are similar, we just need to pay attention to the following points, we can effectively reduce the occurrence and spread of disease.
(1) Eat properly, increase nutrition, drink more water, take enough vitamins, and eat more food rich in high quality protein, sugar and trace elements.
(2) Do not go to densely populated, mixed, air-polluted places, such as: farmers’ markets, individual restaurants, amusement rooms, etc..
(3) Wash hands regularly and thoroughly with running water, including not using dirty towels to wipe hands.
(4) Open windows every day to keep indoor air fresh, especially in dormitories, computer rooms, classrooms, etc.
(5) Reasonable arrangement of work and rest to achieve a regular life; take care not to overexert yourself and prevent colds to avoid a decrease in resistance to disease.
(6) Do not eat or process unclean food, refuse to eat raw seafood and meat, and eat fruits with skin, and do not drink raw water. Do not casually dump garbage, do not casually pile garbage, garbage should be sorted and unified destruction.
(7) Pay attention to personal hygiene, do not spit or sneeze at random.
(8) Seek medical attention in time for fever or other discomfort; it is best to wear a mask when visiting the hospital and wash hands after returning to the dormitory to avoid cross infection.
(9) Avoid contact with infectious patients and try not to go to infectious disease epidemic areas.
(10) Properly disinfect items and rooms used by infectious patients, such as drying clothes and blankets in the sun, spraying and wiping with chlorine disinfectant on door handles, desks and floors in rooms.
Although there are many kinds of infectious diseases in spring, as long as we pay attention to prevention, early detection, early isolation, early diagnosis and early treatment, we can effectively stop the epidemic and spread of infectious diseases.