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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Meningitis Questions and Answers
- Cleveland Clinic: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
- MedlinePlus: Shigellosis
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
Examples of Communicable Diseases
A communicable disease is any bacterial or viral condition or illness that one person gets from another. Methods of disease transfer depend on the type of illness and include inhaling airborne contaminants from an infected person coughing or sneezing, transfer of infected fecal material from hand to mouth and direct contact with infected individuals, such as through kissing 2.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Meningitis
Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges (membranes) that surround the spinal cord and brain. Of the two types of meningitis, viral and bacterial, bacterial is the more severe, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1. Viral meningitis requires no specific treatment, but bacterial meningitis requires immediate antibiotic intervention. The type of bacteria causing the meningitis determines the antibiotic regimen for treatment. Possible complications of bacterial meningitis include brain damage and learning disabilities. Meningitis spreads from person to person through direct contact of respiratory secretions.
- Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges (membranes) that surround the spinal cord and brain.
- Meningitis spreads from person to person through direct contact of respiratory secretions.
Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease
Herpangina in Adults
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The Cleveland Clinic reports that hand-foot-mouth disease (not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease that affects cattle) manifests with symptoms of fever, sore throat and runny nose 2. It is most common in infants and children up to 10 years of age, notes the Cleveland Clinic 2. The Coxsackie virus is the prevalent cause of hand-foot-mouth disease, with the spread occurring through direct contact with the stool or mucous of the infected person 2. The contagious period lasts through the first week or until the disappearance of the rash. Treatment includes comfort measures for the symptoms.
- The Cleveland Clinic reports that hand-foot-mouth disease (not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease that affects cattle) manifests with symptoms of fever, sore throat and runny nose 2.
- The contagious period lasts through the first week or until the disappearance of the rash.
Shigellosis
MedlinePlus reports that there are different types of the Shigella bacteria 3. Group D and group B account for the majority of the 18,000 cases in the United States every year. The bacteria live in the intestine and spread through direct contact with an infected stool. Symptoms require an average of three days to develop after contact with the bacteria. The use of antibiotics, such as ampicillin, azithromycin or ciprofloxacin, reduces the duration of shigellosis 3. Symptoms requiring immediate medical attention include seizures, confusion, lethargy and headache with a stiff neck.
Influenza
Hand Sanitizers and Viruses
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KidsHealth.org reports that influenza, a highly contagious respiratory viral infection, is most prevalent from November to April 4. Symptoms of influenza, or "the flu," include:
- cough
- sore throat
- fever
- headache
- chills
- muscle aches
- runny nose
- dizziness
- cough 4
Some types of influenza present with nausea or vomiting. The contagious period ranges from a day prior to any symptoms through one to two weeks, until symptoms go away. Influenza spreads by contact with the virus-infected particles sneezed or coughed into the air.
- KidsHealth.org reports that influenza, a highly contagious respiratory viral infection, is most prevalent from November to April 4.
Related Articles
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Meningitis Questions and Answers
- Cleveland Clinic: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
- MedlinePlus: Shigellosis
- KidsHealth: Influenza (Flu)
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Viral Meningitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated August 6, 2019. cdc.gov
- Bahr NC, Boulware DR. Methods of rapid diagnosis for the etiology of meningitis in adults. Biomark Med. 2014;8(9):1085–1103. doi:10.2217/bmm.14.67
- Hersi K, Gonzalez FJ, Kondamudi NP. Meningitis. [Updated 2019 Dec 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459360/
- Hoffman O, Weber RJ. Pathophysiology and treatment of bacterial meningitis. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2009;2(6):1–7. doi:10.1177/1756285609337975
- Ku LC, Boggess KA, Cohen-Wolkowiez M. Bacterial meningitis in infants. Clin Perinatol. 2015;42(1):29–viii. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2014.10.004
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Bacterial Meningitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated August 6, 2019. cdc.gov
- Swain CL, Martin DR. Survival of meningococci outside of the host: implications for acquisition [published correction appears in Epidemiol Infect. 2007 Nov;135(8):1406]. Epidemiol Infect. 2007;135(2):315–320. doi:10.1017/S0950268806006789
- Tattevin P, Tchamgoué S, Belem A, Bénézit F, Pronier C, Revest M. Aseptic meningitis. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2019;175(7-8):475–480. doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2019.07.005
- Lee BE, Davies HD. Aseptic meningitis. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007;20(3):272–277. doi:10.1097/QCO.0b013e3280ad4672
- Colpitts TM, Conway MJ, Montgomery RR, Fikrig E. West Nile Virus: biology, transmission, and human infection. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2012;25(4):635–648. doi:10.1128/CMR.00045-12
- Bonthius DJ. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: an underrecognized cause of neurologic disease in the fetus, child, and adult. Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2012;19(3):89–95. doi:10.1016/j.spen.2012.02.002
- Agrawal S, Nadel S. Acute bacterial meningitis in infants and children: epidemiology and management. Paediatr Drugs. 2011;13(6):385–400. doi:10.2165/11593340-000000000-00000
- Kastrup O, Wanke I, Maschke M. Neuroimaging of infections. NeuroRx. 2005;2(2):324–332. doi:10.1602/neurorx.2.2.324
- Doherty CM, Forbes RB. Diagnostic Lumbar Puncture. Ulster Med J. 2014;83(2):93–102.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral Meningitis. Updated August 6, 2019.
- Baldwin KJ, Zunt JR. Evaluation and treatment of chronic meningitis. Neurohospitalist. 2014;4(4):185–195. doi:10.1177/1941874414528940
- Brouwer MC, Tunkel AR, van de Beek D. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and antimicrobial treatment of acute bacterial meningitis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2010;23(3):467–492. doi:10.1128/CMR.00070-09
- Taj A, Jamil N. Cerebrospinal Fluid Concentrations of Biogenic Amines: Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Bacterial and Viral Meningitis. Pathogens. 2018 Apr 13;7(2). pii: E39. doi:10.3390/pathogens7020039.
- Villena R, Safadi MAP, Valenzuela MT, Torres JP, Finn A, O'Ryan M. Global epidemiology of serogroup B meningococcal disease and opportunities for preventionwith novel recombinant protein vaccines. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2018 Apr 18:1-50. doi:10.1080/21645515.2018.1458175. [Epub ahead of print]
Writer Bio
Norene Anderson has been a writer since 2003. She is also a registered nurse with expertise in a wide range of medical conditions and treatments. Anderson received her associate degree in nursing from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.