Outbreak of the Marburg Virus :: History Journal Medical Essays

Report from Uige Province I have now been working in Angola as a medical relief agent for three months. It is only recently that people have started talking about a possible outbreak of the Marburg virus here in the Uige Province in Northern Angola. We fear the worst as this disease, a deadly but rare hemorrhagic fever related to the Ebola virus, has many similar symptoms to other infectious diseases such as Malaria or typhoid fever making it difficult to diagnose. After incubating for five to twenty-one days, the disease comes on swiftly with symptoms such as fever, chills, muscular tenderness and headache.1 The fifth day of infection is marked by the appearance of discolored spots and raised bumps around the chest, stomach and back area. Other symptoms at this stage include vomiting, chest pains, nausea, and diarrhea.2 These symptoms quickly become more severe resulting in jaundice, severe weight loss, inflammation of the pancreas, shock, liver failure, and multi-organ dysfunction3. Typically lasting 3-9 days, if a person does survive this period, the recovery process is prolonged, oftentimes marked with recurrent hepatitis, inflammation of the spinal cord, eyes, and parotid gland, transverse myelitis, and orchitis.4 This is worrisome, as in the region where I am currently working there is little room in the local hospital and very limited funds. If the outbreak grows it can only cause more fatalities due to our lack of resources. As of now, only sporadic cases have been reported since the last Marburg virus outbreak in Druba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 19985. We can only hope for limited spread of infection, as there is no cure or vaccine for this deadly virus. December 17th, 2004 As of now, there have been 34 reported cases of what might be the Marburg virus and 34 deaths thus resulting in a 100% fatality rating. Currently the outbreak here in Angola is the worst epidemic of any kind of hemorrhagic fever and is continuing to infect as the number of cases increases around 3% each day.6 Fortunately WHO, the World Health Organization, has sent operatives to investigate if, in fact, the virus that is spreading is the Marburg virus and not another hemorrhagic virus. The whole staff at the hospital is becoming nervous, as we are particularly vulnerable to infection.

Grendel a Philisophical Point of View Essay -- Essays Papers

Grendel a Philisophical Point of View Grendel follows the philosophical evolution, from solipsism to nihilism, of a socially isolated creature, a monster. It is an examination of human supernatural curiosity and its many dangers, specifically the tendency toward blind cynicism. Grendel is a censure of the rapid growth of this cynicism in twentieth century society and the consequent widespread distrust of abstract ideals. In investigating his own nature, the monster in the story destroys himself. He realizes that the universe is determined, accidental, and so he loses faith in his own importance. With time, he becomes a beast, until eventually his soul has wholly left him. He does not die for love, or for passion, or for freedom. His spirit dies instead simply, hopelessly, mired in boredom and anger, without courage or sadness. Grendel is dead long before his body fails him. He fades away, and the most important theme in this novel is that such self-destruction, though tempting, is not the only answer. Grendel's first defense against a brute universe is solipsism: the belief that the self can know only itself and that it is the only existent thing. As the novel clearly demonstrates, solipsism is a weak defense. However loudly a creature may declare its godhood, the universe continues to function independently. However a creature may deny the reality of outside factors, outside factors will continue to impose themselves upon his everyday existence. The main flaw in so...

Ellen and Edward represent Essay

Ellen and Edward represent the dynamic challenge of working with two people who enter therapy together, but present different levels of clinical symptomatology. In this case, Ellen appears to be experiencing the most difficulty functioning in her life. She reports a lack of energy, persistent sadness, and even occasional suicidal ideation. These problems are not new for Ellen as she has likely suffered from clinical depression for several years. Her termination of individual therapy may have triggered or intensified her recent increase in symptoms. Ellen’s diagnosis is Major Depressive Disorder. Her severity ranges from moderate to severe. At this time, Edward does not meet criteria for any Axis I disorders, but further information would be necessary to understand his personality and other areas of functioning more thoroughly. Neither member of this partnership meets criteria for an Axis II diagnosis. There are no medical conditions reported and therefore, no Axis III diagnosis. Axis IV psychosocial problems for Ellen include her previous abuse. As a couple, psychosocial difficulties include communication problems and marital discord. Ellen’s GAF is estimated to be 35 while Edward is functioning more effectively at a GAF of 65. The couple’s level of functioning is more reflective of Ellen’s more severe difficulties (Weeks & Hof, 1995). They are failing to communicate, meet basic needs of the household, and sustain meaningful aspects of the relationships. Because Ellen has experienced a mood disturbance for longer than the duration of her marriage, it is possible that even her mate selection of Edward was related to her diagnosis (Weeks & Hof, 1995). For this reason, Ellen’s individual diagnosis should be seen in the context of the relationship for the purposes of couple’s therapy. It is an integral part of their relationship and cannot be extracted if the couple wishes to fortify their relationship through marital counseling. Ellen would still be encouraged to seek her own individual therapy and consultation with a psychiatrist to address the severity of her depression. Ellen’s diagnosis was reached through the decision-tree method presented in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). This method is a thorough way to match the presenting symptoms to the most appropriate clinical diagnosis. In this case, Ellen’s experience of a mood disorder was clear early in the initial session. The details she described about her past provided enough clinical information to eliminate bipolar disorders and more mild forms of depression. Major depressive disorder encompasses the duration and severity (i. e. occasional suicidal ideation) of her condition. The single criticism of the decision-tree method may be its tendency to over-diagnose. While this client clearly met criteria, there are very few paths out of the decision-tree should a client present mild symptoms that do not yet merit a full diagnosis. There are many different medication options that may supplement Ellen’s participation in psychotherapy. Lexapro and Zoloft, members of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class, may be useful. If Ellen does not respond to these drugs or is at-risk for their adverse side-effects, Wellbutrin is another option. This drug has a complete different action mechanism than the others in the SSRI class. Ellen’s response and compliance with any antidepressant medication should be monitored closely. Her history of abruptly terminating treatment could indicate a potential to also stop taking her medication without warning. Many antidepressants need to be tapered off in gradually decreasing dosages. Abruptly ceasing treatment can cause dangerous side effects. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM IV- TR. (4th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author. Weeks, G. R. & Hof, L. (1995) Integrative Solutions: Treating common problems in couples therapy. New York: Psychology Press.

Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Essays

Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Essays Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Paper Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Paper A survey of three online competitors has been conducted in order to give an assessment of the industry. In brief, competitor analysis identifies the strengths and weaknesses of competing products or services before beginning work on prototypes. Since this proposal is a pre-cursor to a prototype model, it is deemed necessary in order to show how typical tasks are achieved. The competitive advantages of each product are discussed, and a short summary of the market position is generated. Conducting a competitor survey offers the benefit of discovering strengths and weaknesses of competing products or services and to develop a list of issues that need to be addressed in order to compete effectively. The first question is always: what is a competitor? A context of use analysis, (who is the intended user? ), of the intended product is important as it will identify the users, the tasks, and the context in which the product is planned to be used. In this proposal the product is an online business that satisfies a user need. The user, typically, is a patient in need of medical care, prescriptions or a medical diagnosis. The key to a lucid competitor analysis is to focus on the user need to be serviced and not on the enabling technology. Below are survey results of three randomly picked competitors in the online healthcare industry with a short evaluation of each.

Ancient Indian Architecture

Ancient Indian Architecture Architecture has played an important role in the Indian culture. These artworks render creativity and artwork and also portray the culture, hard work, and religion. Ancient Indian architecture can be divided among the different religions and civilizations. These architectural achievements are now one of the main attractions which attract tourists to India from all over the world.Harappan Architecture (1500BC- 230BC)Harappans, Indus Valley Civilization, believed in a "utilitarian" form of architecture rather than "aesthetic". They believed in simple architecture which could be utilized in everyday life and which also served a purpose while it remained simple whereas the latter built works of beauty which were usually built to impress.A common Harappan house consisted of two floors made of baked bricks and the center, which was courtyard, was enclosed on the four sides by rooms. These houses were constructed in a way that the windows and doors were opposite to the street.The Sanchi stu pa in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh built b...The reason why they did this is unknown, but their cities were well planned; they had streets and a covered system of sewage. Between the time of the Harappan Civilization and the Mauryan Empire, texts and writings found by archeologists talk about great architectural structures and palaces. The reason why is yet unknown, but there are two possible possibilities: either archeologists haven't come across the correct site, or the great structures were made of perishable goods such as wood or clay. During this time period, stone wasn't widely available whereas wood was, so this had led archeologists to believe that over the course of time, the wood/clay structures have discinigrated due to undesirable conditions.Mauryan EmpireThe earliest evidence/ traces of the Mauryan Empire come from a pillared hall which was discovered from Ashoka's palace in Patna. The pillars were made of stone, and archeologists beganto see...

How far did the liberals lay the fondations of the welfare s essays

How far did the liberals lay the fondations of the welfare s essays How far did the Liberals lay the foundations of the welfare state? The welfare state was set up in 1945, after the second world by the Labour government. It ensured that people would be looked after from the cradle to the grave. Some historians would argue that the Labour government should not be given all the credit for founding the welfare state but that the Liberals in 1906-1914 had already laid the foundations. In 1906 the Liberals took over government, most of the Liberals still believed in Laissez-Faire but a small group of new Liberals believed the government should carry out more social reform. Two of these new Liberals were David Lloyd George and Winston Spencer Churchill. David Lloyd George was welsh and came from a working class background and because he had experienced poverty first hand he sympathised with the poor and he wanted to help them. Thanks to the surveys that were carried out by Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree the liberal government decided to pass a series of reform acts. The first to help was children as Rowntrees poverty cycle showed that it was mostly children that were suffering, so this was the first area that the Liberals passed reforms in. The first act they passed for children was The School Meals Act 1906. This meant that children got fed breakfast at school so that they could concentrate during the school day and that they were guaranteed to have at least one good meal a day. The second act they bought in was The Medical Inspections 1907. This meant that all children that were going to school had to get medically inspected for such things as height, weight, eyes, ears and teeth. There was one last reform that the Liberals passed for children; this was The Childrens Charter 1908. This act bought in a lot of acts and joined it as one. This reform banned children from doing certain things, for example children under 16 were not allowed ...

You Are What You Eat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You Are What You Eat - Essay Example Also I exercise a lot which I consider a great way to keep myself in shape. With so many activities, it is important to have a balanced and a varied diet. I do not have any health conditions nor is anyone in my family suffering from a disease that has genetic origins therefore I do not have pre-disposition to acquire a genetic disease. The top ingredients in my diet are carbohydrates, proteins, fats. Protein is a natural ingredient which is present in all the living organisms. It is one of the most important building blocks of life. Proteins play an extremely important role in making up human body and they are present in almost every part of it, from blood to hair, a large number of organs comprise of protein. Therefore an important portion of the diet should be dedicated to the intake of proteins so that the repair and growth mechanisms continue to operate in the best possible way. Our body needs a certain amount of protein daily so that it can carry out the vital processes of life. It is needed to repair tissues, form broken cells and also in blood where it is necessary for efficient transfer of oxygen to all the organs of the body. Deficiency of protein can lead to a lot of serious diseases. I take a lot of fish, beans and poultry items in my diet which are rich in different types of proteins (Boylan, Spallhoiz, & Driskell, 2008). These are all natural sources so are free from any possible side effects.