CAJ - MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)

History

The Staphylococcus Aureus bacterium was first discovered in the 1880s. At that time, the bacterium usually caused painful skin and soft tissue conditions, but it could also progress to serious illnesses, such as bacterial pneumonia and bacteria in the bloodstream.

When the antibiotic medicine penicillin was discovered in the 1940s, the treatment for Staphylococcus Aureus infections became routine. After some years, however, S.A. infections became resistant to penicillin. Therefore, a new medicine, similar to penicillin, was introduced: methicillin. But it was only a matter of time before the bacteria also developed resistance for this kind of medicine. This resistance is referred to the birth of MRSA – the first human case came in 1968.

Causes and Spread

Staph are common bacteria that can live in our bodies (mainly in our noses) and most people are not being infected by it. Nevertheless, those bacteria could be a problem if they get into the body, e.g. due to a cut. So, the risk of an infection increases immensely.  

When it comes to the spread of the disease, it is mainly transmitted by skin-to-skin contact and especially occurs in contact sports, like rugby, wrestling etc. But, of course, you can also contract MRSA when touching contaminated objects, such as towels, weight training equipment …

Symptoms

In most cases, MRSA appears as a skin infection, looks like a pimple, boil or spider bite and is usually red, painful and swollen. Sometimes staph bacteria also infect the lungs and cause pneumonia. The latter can be recognized by fever, shortness of breath, cough and chills.

Treatment

Most often, staph infections are minor and do not require special treatment. In those cases the doctor only makes an incision and drains the skin boil. In case of pneumonia or infected wounds, however, further treatment is needed – antibiotics. Over time, though, some strains of staph developed resistance to antibiotics, like penicillin, methicillin and many others. But, fortunately, other kinds of antibiotics still work.

CAJ - H5N1 virus - AVIAN FLU or BIRD FLU

History

It all began in 1997 when the H5N1 virus, which is highly pathogenic, first infected humans during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong.

Since 2003 the virus has spread throughout south-east Asia and to several other regions of the globe. As it in some countries became entrenched in poultry, millions of poultry was infected which also led to hundreds of human cases and even deaths.

These outbreaks had serious effects on livelihoods, the economy and international trade in the affected countries.

Causes and Spread

Wild birds were infected by the H5N1 virus and transmitted the disease to farm-raised birds, like chicken, turkeys, ducks, etc. When people get in contact with these animals, it is more likely to become infected. However, the virus can also be passed through bird droppings and their saliva on cages, tractors and so on. As far as the spread from human to human is concerned, it is rather unlikely to contract avian flu from an infected person.

Fortunately, people also do not have to be afraid of eating fully cooked poultry since the virus is killed by the heat.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of the bird flu, which usually begin within two to five days of infection, resemble those of the common flu: cough, fever, muscle aches and sore throat. Some people also suffer from a mild eye infection which is the only indication of the disease. Apart from that, the bird flu can progress to pneumonia as well as ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and leads to death after about 9-10 days if no doctor is consulted.

Treatment

The disease’s treatment depends on what the H5N1 virus is doing to your body. Sometimes, plain antiviral medicines are prescribed in order to feel better. However, experts are concerned that these medicines are effective because viruses become resistant in the course of time.

Infected patients usually are treated in an isolation room so that the risk of passing the illness on is lowered. Moreover, the hospital staff is required to wear gloves and gowns when a patient is treated. Due to breathing problems, patients, in some cases, get a ventilator, a specific machine that helps a person breathe or breathes for the person. Other patients, in turn, may need dialysis, a treatment for kidney failure.

Sadly, more than 50% of H5N1 infections cannot be cured and lead to death.

Group 18 - Boy With Toy Hand Grenade

On this black and white picture you can see a blonde, little boy, standing in a park and looking straight into the camera. He is wearing dark, short dungarees, a white, patterned shirt, sneakers with white shoelaces and wool socks. The left strap of his dungarees is hanging loose. In his right hand he is holding a hand grenade and his left hand is cramped.

By looking at his face, it might seem as if the boy was quite unordinary. It leaves an impression as if he is staring into your soul. He is twisting his mouth in a rather disturbing way, suggesting that he was potentially mentally damaged by a tragic event that he might have experienced while being very young. To describe the boy’s physique, it might be correct to use the idiom “all skin and bones”. “Fit” and “healthy” would not be appropriate attributes to use.

The road the boy is standing on is visible throughout the whole picture. It is accompanied by trees and is fading somewhere in the background. Behind the boy you can see two tree trunks and a series of other smaller trees on a vast area covered with grass. On the meadow, a woman in a dark dress is standing, possibly watching the boy and the photographer. In the right corner you can see an elder woman in a long, dark coat, walking hand in hand with a young child.

- 238 words

Homework - news item

The mysterious flight MH370

Sometimes, planes just vanish from radar screens, but reappear after a while. On Saturday, March 8th 2014, however, a plane of Malaysian Airlines, carrying 240 passengers, vanishes without a trace. Somewhere between one and two hours after its departure, flight MH370, from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, is detected for the last time above the South China Sea. About 12 hours after the last contact, Malaysian, Vietnamese as well as Singaporean search and rescue teams start off to search for the lost plane. For a short time it is assumed that the plane has crashed in Vietnamese maritime territory, but soon afterwards is denied. In order to get further information, waiting families are offered a transfer into a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, some relatives already suspect that something horrible has happened and freak out. At first, many of them also get told that flight MH370 has not even taken off. …

News item:  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/08/malaysia-airlines-plane-mh370-kuala-lumpur-beijing-boeing-777