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| Aedes aegypti, lamok na may dalang dengue |
Ayon sa nababasa at napapanood sa telebisyon, ang mga bampira daw ay sa gabi nambibiktima at sa araw ay tulog ngunit ang mga "maliliit na bampira" na aking kinamumuhian, sila ay gising na gising sa araw man at gabi, parang mga hayok na hayok na sa isang saglit lang ay ang maliliit na karayom nila ay sa iyo'y tutusok. Ang tinutukoy ko ay ang mga lamok na may dalang dengue.
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| Nathan David sa hospital |
Aedes aegypti, scientific name ng lamok na ito na napaka delikado at matatagpuan sa maraming bansa. Dito sa Pilipinas, libo libo na ang nabiktima ng dengue at marami na din ang namatay. Mansyon o dampa man ang bahay ay mayroong mga lamok na namiminsala. Mahirap man o mayaman ay di ligtas sa dengue. Noong huling mga buwan ng 2011 at mga unang buwan ng 2012 maraming mga bata dito sa lugar namin ang nagkaroon ng dengue at isa na dito ang aking panganay na anak na si Nathan David. Di ko makakalimutan ang mga sandaling ito na nasa hospital si Nathan. Buntis ako noon sa aking bunso. Labis ang pag aalala namin sa kanya noon. Walang siyang ganang kumain, lumaki ang tyan, nagsusuka, at bumaba ng husto ang kanyang blood platelet. Siyam na araw siyang nanatili sa hospital at nasalinan pa sya ng dugo. Hindi rin biro ang gastos namin noon at nasabay pa sa nalalapit kong pangannganak. Salamat sa Diyos dahil sa panahong ito ang Kanyang pag aaruga at pagmamahal sa amin ay di matutumbasan. Salamat sa Diyos dahil hindi Niya kami pinabayaan. Dahil sa pangyayaring ito, naging mas maingat kami ngayon at gumagawa ng mga hakbang para di na maulit pa ang aming naging karanasan sa dengue. Narito ang ilang mga hakbang na ginagawa namin para sa paglaban sa mga maliliit na bampira na ito.
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| bintana namin |
Una sa listahan namin ang malinis na paligid. Dapat walang mga bagay na maaring itlogan ng mga lamok na ito. Mas makakatulong din kung ang bahay ay maliwanang, ang mga lamok kasi ay gustong gusto sa madidilim na lugar kaya nga nagpa pintura kami ng maliwanang na kulay sa loob ng aming bahay. Naglagay din kami ng screen sa aming mga bintana at pinto. Naglalagay din kami ng katol sa labas ng bahay sa gabi para sa gabi palang di umiiwas na ang mga lamok dahil sa amoy ng katol. Maganda rin sa gabi maglagay ng katol para di maamoy ng mga bata. Hindi rin kasi maganda ang katol sa kalusugan.
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| organic herbal lotion |
Lagi kaming naka bantay sa lamok kaya naman malaking tulong sa amin ang electronic mosquito bat. Madali lang gamitin kasi parang naglalaro ka lang ng pingpong. Malaki ding tulong ang spray. Hindi maganda ang mga spray na chemical ang content dahil di maganda sa kalusugan kaya naman kami ay gumawa ng spray na gawa sa bawang, lemon at oil. Para din maingatan ang mga bata sa kagat ng lamok maganda kung lalagyan sila ng anti mosquito lotion. Mas maganda din ang lotion kung herbal dahil wala itong chemical na delikado din sa kalusugan. Kung may pupuntahan kaming lugar na tingin namin ay maraming lamok, pinapasuot namin ang mga bata ng damit na mahahaba ang manggas o kaya pantalon para maitago ang katawan sa lamok.
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| gamitin ang kamay pang puksa sa lamok |
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| Nathan hawak ang home-made mosquito spray |
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| Butas ng puno na maaring pangitlogan |
Pag may nakita ang isa sa amin na lamok, alerto kami lagi pag dumapo tiyak patay siya sa amin. Maliliit silang insekto pero pag nakakagat ay napaka delikado. Kung ang lahat lang sana ng tao o pamilya ay gagawa ng hakbang para mapuksa ang mga lamok na ito, maaring pagdating ng panahon ay mababawasan na ang mga mabibiktima o kaya tuluyan nang mapuksa ito. Ang gobyerno ay may mga hakbang din na ginagawa pero di natin dapat iasa ito sa kanila. Kaya nga nais kong hikayatin ang lahat ng tayo ay kumilos at huwag ipag walang bahala ang maliliit na bampira na di man umuubos ng dugo sa katawan subalit salot naman na naturingan.
Di rin dapat mawala ang panalangin para ingatan tayo ng Panginoon. Dalangin na sana'y wala ng mabiktima pa ang mga maliit na bampira na ito at tuluyan na silang mapuksa para di na magdala pa ng problema sa naparaming tao.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 15, 2013
Noong nakaraang dalawang buwan, ang panganay naming anak na si Nathan David ay nakakitaan ng simtomas ng chikungunya na noon ay inakala naming dengue na naman. Dahil dito mas lalong naging mapagbantay kami sa maliliit na bampirang ito na maraming binibigay na perwisyo sa mga tao. Inalam ko ang iba pang mga sakit na nakukuha sa pamamagitan ng kagat ng lamok. Narito ang mga ilan na kinopya ko mula sa iba-ibang website para makatulong na magbigay ng impormasyon:
IBANG MGA SAKIT MULA SA LAMOK
CHIKUNGUNYA
Chikungunya ay isang viral infection, na nakukuha sa kagat ng lamok aedes aegypti. Ang virus na ito ay unang nakita saTanzania noong 1953. ‘Chikungunya’, mula sa lenggwahe na Kimakonde (salita na mula sa tribo ng Africa na kung tawagin ay Makonde) na ang ibig sabihin ‘ay mapabaliktot’, at ito ay naglalarawan sa mga simtomas ng chikungunya kung saan ang mga pasyente na mayroon nito ay napapabaluktot sa sobrang sakit ng mga kalamnan at kasu-kasuan. Wala itong kinalaman sa manok mula sa salitang "chikun" o chicken.
MGA SIMTOMAS
Ang pagkabuo o incubate ng virus ay mula 2 hanggang 5 araw. Ang simtomas ay magsisimulang makita pag ang incubation period ay nakumpleto. Minsan umaabot din ng 12 na araw bago makita ang mga simtomas. Narito ang mga pangkaraniwang simtomas:
- Mataas na lagnat
- Panginginig at pananakit ng kasu-kasuan
- Pananakit ng mga kalamnan
- Pagkahilo at pagsusuka
- Fatigue
- Rashes
Minsan ang Chikungunya ay napapagkamalang trangkaso o kaya dengue. Sa Ilang mga kaso, may sobrang pananakit ng kasu-kasuan, hirap sa paggalaw at arthritis. May mga report din ng problema sa mata at kumplikasyon sa puso.
Walang gamot o bakuna para dito. Ang mahalagang bantayan sa pasyente ay di siya ma dehydrate o mawalan ng tubig sa katawan at ang mataas na lagnat na maaaring magdala ng kumplikasyon lalo na sa mga bata. Ang pag inom ng pain reliever para sa sakit ng katawan ay maaaring makatulong pero di rin pwedeng iasa dito dahil ang mga gamot na pain reliever ay hindi rin maganda pag nasubrahan.
(source:http://www.drhealth.md/infectious-diseases/viral-diseases/chikungunya/ )
MALARIA
The word
malaria comes from 18th century Italian
mala meaning "bad" and
aria
meaning "air". Most likely, the term was first used by Dr. Francisco
Torti, Italy, when people thought the disease was caused by foul air in
marshy areas.
It was not until 1880 that scientists discovered that malaria was a parasitic disease which is transmitted by the
anopheles mosquito. The mosquito infects the host with a one-cell parasite called
plasmodium.
By the end of the 18th century, scientists found out that Malaria is
transmitted from person-to-person through the bite of the female
mosquito, which needs blood for her eggs.
Approximately 40% of the total global population is at risk of
Malaria infection. During the 20th century the disease was effectively
eliminated in the majority of non-tropical countries.
According to the
World Health Organization1 (WHO):
- Approximately 660,000 people died from malaria in 2010 globally, most of them were African children.
- There were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria infection in 2010 worldwide.
- Malaria is a preventable and curable disease.
- Malaria mortality rates have fallen by over 25% since 2000. In the WHO African region rates have dropped by 33%.
- The malaria burden in many parts of the world is being dramatically
reduced thanks to increased malaria prevention and control measures.
- Travelers from malaria-free areas who enter endemic areas are
especially vulnerable to severe symptoms when they become infected.
- About 80% of all malaria cases occur in just 17 countries.
- Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo account for more than 40% of all malaria deaths worldwide.
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention2 says that about 1,500 people are diagnosed in the U.S. with malaria each year. The vast majority were infected abroad.
Recent developments on malaria from MNT news
Interfering with malaria's genetic cloaking device may provide cure for the disease
- researchers from The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School,
Jerusalem, Israel, believe they have come very close to finding a cure
for malaria. They have discovered a genetic cloaking device used by the
parasite to evade the human immune system so that it can establish
infection. If a treatment can be devised which interferes with the
cloaking device's DNA, the immune system would then have a chance to
eliminate the infection early on.
Measuring electrical properties of red blood cells to diagnose malaria
- scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
developed a microfluidic device that can diagnose early stage malaria.
The device measures electrical properties of red blood cells.
There are five types of malaria:
- Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) - milder form
of the disease, generally not fatal. However, infected people still need
treatment because their untreated progress can also cause a host of
health problems. This type has the widest geographic distribution
globally. About 60% of infections in India are due to P. vivax.
This parasite has a liver stage and can remain in the body for years
without causing sickness. If the patient is not treated, the liver stage
may re-activate and cause relapses - malaria attacks - after months, or
even years without symptoms.
- Plasmodium malariae (P. malariae) - milder
form of the disease, generally not fatal. However, the infected human
still needs treatment because no treatment can also lead to a host of
health problems. This type of parasite has been known to stay in the
blood of some people for several decades.
- Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale) - milder form
of the disease, generally not fatal. However, the infected human still
needs to be treated because it may progress and cause a host of health
problems. This parasite has a liver stage and can remain in the body
for years without causing sickness. Without treatment there is a risk
that the liver stage re-activates and cause relapses after very long
periods without symptoms.
- Plasmodium falciparum (P. faliparum)
- the most serious form of the disease. It is most common in Africa,
especially sub-Saharan Africa. Current data indicates that cases are now
being reported in areas of the world where this type was thought to
have been eradicated.
- Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi) - causes malaria in macaques but can also infect humans.
How does a human become infected with Malaria?
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| The Anopheles mosquito taking a blood meal. |
The female
Anopheles mosquito transmits the parasite to a human when it takes a blood meal - it bites the human in order to feed on blood.
Only the female
Anopheles mosquito can transmit malaria, and it must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken from an infected human.
When the mosquito bites an infected person a minute quantity of the malaria (plasmodium) parasite in the blood is taken.
Approximately one week later that same infected mosquito takes its
next blood meal. The plasmodium parasites mix with the mosquito's saliva
and are injected into the host (human being).
Human-to-human transmission of Malaria
As the parasite exists in human red blood cells, malaria can be
passed on from one person to the next through organ transplant, shared
use of needles/syringes, and blood transfusion. An infected mother may
also pass malaria on to her baby during delivery (birth) - this is
called 'congenital malaria'.
People cannot "catch" malaria from others just by being near them.
You can sit next to an infected person quite safely, with no risk of
infection, even if they cough or sneeze.
What are the symptoms of Malaria?
In regions where Malaria is common, local people usually have some
level of immunity, which means that many infected people may have no
symptoms at all, or very few.
Severity of Malaria symptoms depends on:
- The type of parasite.
- The individual's level of immunity.
- Whether the person still has his/her spleen.
Early stage symptoms of Malaria
Signs and symptoms tend to be cyclical in severity, during each wave
levels of severity may differ. How long symptoms last may also vary,
depending on each cycle. Early on during the disease, symptoms may not
follow this pattern.
Other common symptoms may include:
- Dry cough
- Back pain
- Muscle ache
- Enlarged spleen
Very rare symptoms may include:
- Impairment of brain function
- Impairment of spinal cord function
- Seizures (fits)
- Loss of consciousness
Patients infected with the
P. falciparum parasite are more likely to become seriously ill - their illness can become life-threatening.
What is the incubation period of Malaria?
Incubation means the time between becoming infected and the
appearance of symptoms. This generally depends on the type of parasite:
- P. falciparum - 9 to 14 days
- P. vivax - 12 to 18 days
- P. ovale - 12 to 18 days
- P. malariae - 18 to 40 days
However, incubation periods can vary from as short as 7 days, to several months for
P. vivax and
P. ovale. People on chemoprophylaxis (medication to prevent infection) have longer incubation periods.
The doctor needs to rule out other conditions or diseases which have similar symptoms to malaria. These include:
What are the treatment options for Malaria?
According to WHO, in areas where Malaria is common treatment should
start as soon as signs and symptoms appear, ideally within 24 hours.
People with uncomplicated malaria can be treated as outpatients, while those with severe malaria need to be hospitalized.
In non-endemic areas WHO recommends that patients with uncomplicated
or severe malaria should be kept under clinical observation if possible.
Patients with
P. falciparum infection and severe symptoms who cannot take their medications orally should receive them intravenously.
In some countries (not USA), anti-malarial medications may be presented as suppositories.
Some anti-malarial medications are available as continuous intravenous infusions.
According to the
CDC3, the following drugs are commonly used for treating malaria:
- artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem®)
- atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone®)
- chloroquine
- clindamycin (used in combination with quinine)
- doxycycline (used in combination with quinine)
- mefloquine (Lariam®)
- quinidine
- quinine
- artesunate (not licensed for use in the United States, but available through the CDC malaria hotline 770-488-7100)
Also, primaquine is effective against hypnozoites (the dormant
parasite liver forms) and prevents recurrences (relapses). Primaquine
should not be given to expectant mothers, or patients who are deficient
in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase G6PD. A screening test excludes
G6PD deficiency.
According to the National Library of Medicine,
the outcome (prognosis) for patients with malaria who receive treatment is "good"4, but poor for those with
Falciparum infection with complications.
(source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150670.php)
Elephantiasis is a disease that is characterized by the thickening of
the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs, male genitals.
In some cases the disease can cause certain body parts, such as
the scrotum, to swell to the size of a softball or basketball.
"Elephantitis" is a common mis-hearing of the term, from confusing the
ending ''-iasis'' (process or resulting condition) with the more
commonly heard ''-itis'' (irritation or inflammation).
Elephantiasis of leg due to filariasis. Luzon, Philippines. Image Credit: CDC
The proper medical term is Elephantiasis, and it is caused by filariasis or podoconiosis.
Elephantiasis leads to mark swelling of the lower half of the body.
Elephantiasis caused by lymphatic filariasis is one of the most common causes of disability in the world.
Elephantiasis
puts at risk more than a billion people in more than 80 countries. Over
120 million have already been affected by it, over 40 million of them
are seriously incapacitated and disfigured by the disease.
One-third
of the people infected with the disease live in India, one third are in
Africa and most of the remainder are in South Asia, the Pacific and the
Americas. In tropical and subtropical areas where lymphatic filariasis
is well-established, the prevalence of infection is continuing to
increase.
A primary cause of this increase is the rapid and
unplanned growth of cities, which creates numerous breeding sites for
the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.
(source:http://www.news-medical.net/health/Elephantiasis-What-is-Elephantiasis.aspx)
