Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men after lung cancer. It is estimated to be found in as many as half of all men over the age of 70 and in almost all men over the age of ninety. Since the discovery of the blood test for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in the 1980’s, prostate cancer can now be detected at a much earlier stage.
In 1999, there were over 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer with 45,000 deaths. The average age of diagnosis is 72 years and 95% of cases are diagnosed between the ages of 45-89.
The incidence of prostate cancer varies among different ethnicities. The incidence is highest in African Americans and lowest in Asian Americans. Mortality from prostate cancer has slowly risen over the last 10 years which is likely attributable to the fact that the American population is aging and experiencing less cardiovascular mortality.
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Although risk factors often influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. However, knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices.
Because the exact cause of prostate cancer is still unknown, it is also unknown how to prevent prostate cancer.
Latvia, Riga,
Thailand, Bangkok
Kuwait, Kuwait City,
Mackay, Queensland
Huntsville, Alabama
Denmark, Copenhagen
Parramatta, Australia,
Mobile Alabama USA
Denmark, Copenhagen
Trinidad and Tobago Port-of-Spain
The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped sex gland in men that produces the seminal fluid, which nourishes and transports sperm. The growth of the cells in the prostate gland is stimulated by the male sex hormone called testosterone. Though its causes are unknown, prostate cancer is a frightening prospect for men. This cancer threatens not just their lives, but also their sexuality. Possible consequences of treatment (even if the treatment has been successful in saving a person’s life) include erectile dysfunction and bladder control problems. Prostate cancer progresses very slowly and the early stages show little or no symptoms. If detected early, effective treatment with minimum side effects is possible. Once the cancer spreads (metastizes) treatment becomes more difficult.
A man’s vulnerability to prostate cancer increases with age. Most often, prostate cancer is detected very late and people who lose their lives do not die from prostate cancer, but die WITH prostate cancer. As the cancer develops, it eventually squeezes the urethra, which surrounds the prostate. This is when signs and symptoms begin to appear:
-Urgency in urination
-Difficulty in starting urination
-Dull, persistent ache in the lower pelvic area
-Painful urination, a very slow flow (almost like a dribble)
-Intermittent urine flow, and a sensation that the bladder is not empty
-Frequent urination, sometimes including blood
-Painful ejaculation
-Persistent pain in the bones, lower back, hip and thighs
-General ill health, loss of appetite, and decline in weight
If the cells from the cancerous prostrate break away, the cancer will spread. Most commonly, prostate cancer spreads to the lymph nodes, bones in the hips or the lower back, lungs, and sometimes even the brain.
Bermuda
Estonia, Tallinn
Topeka, Kansas
Chicago, Illinois
Zambia, Lusaka
Eritrea, Asmara,
Scottsdale, Arizona
Fremont, California
Carrollton Texas USA
City of Hawkesbury, Australia
What is in common to all three forms of infection – bacterial, viral and fungal, is that they are caused by invading parasitic microorganisms. In other words, microorganisms that use the host – human body – to feed and multiply, without giving anything back. In fact, their over-proliferation damages the host.
Aside from parasitic microorganisms, there are larger forms of parasitic organisms either inhabiting the body – like intestinal parasites, from protozoa (animal-like microorganisms that hunt and swallow their food) to intestinal worms – or external blood suckers, like mosquitoes, lice, ticks or leeches. Not seldom these relatively large parasitic organisms are carriers of pathogenic microorganisms causing serious and life-threatening infections (lime disease, malaria, West Nile encephalitis/meningitis, etc.).
Most infectious diseases are easy to diagnose, and are usually treated successfully with antibiotics. However, the emerging problem is increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms, mainly resulting from the overuse of antibiotics in both, human health care and in animals commercially grown for food. The more extensive use of antibiotics, the wider breeding ground for new, antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
This wasn’t hard to predict. As far back as early 1960’s, Rachel Carson (Silent Spring) was trying to bring attention to many negative effects of the overuse of pesticides, one of them being creating resistant insect strains. Somehow, a direct parallel escaped organized medicine when it comes to the (over)use of antibiotics.
The war against pathogenic microorganisms we can’t win – at best we can stay one step ahead. New antibiotics containing more than a single bacterial toxin are being developed as we speak. These will be more efficient initially but, after a while – just as it’s happened with the first generation of antibiotics – new superbugs will emerge, more resistant and more dangerous than ever!
Luckily, other options are open. One is the use of selective viruses which would only attack harmful bacteria. The other is to target bacterial DNA directly; either way, it will likely be up to molecular/genetic medicine to spare the humanity from devastating epidemics in the near future.
As always – and especially considering increasingly inefficient antibiotic treatments – your best bet is still to take good care of your health in general, and health of your immune system in particular. Thus good digestion, quality nutrition and lowering your toxic exposure become even more important. Also, avoiding foods of animal origin where the animals are routinely given antibiotics – and that is almost always the case with animals grown in confined spaces – significantly reduces your chances of being infected with antibiotic-resistant strains.
Healthy digestive tract is a must for efficient immune and
detox system, as well as for your health in general.
To assess its state of health – as well as possible hidden bacterial and fungal infections – you need to use appropriate lab tests.
Poor diet and compromised gut health is most often what causes your body defenses to weaken, making your body an easy pray to infectious microorganisms. You may have them temporarily suppressed with antibiotic treatments, but they will keep coming back as long as you don’t address and correct this core problem.
Tempe Arizona USA
Newcastle, Australia
Rochester, Minnesota
Namibia, Windhoek
Oceanside, California
Lexington, Kentucky
Rochester, New York
Equatorial Guinea, Malabo
Cote d’Ivoire, Yamoussoukro
Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Fujairah, UAE
Fungi (plural for fungus) are different from both viruses and bacteria in many ways. They are larger, plant-like organisms that lack chlorophyll (the substance that makes plants green and converts sunlight into energy). Since fungi do not have chlorophyll to make food, they have to absorb food from whatever they are growing on. Fungi can be very helpful – brewing beer, making bread rise, decomposing trash – but they can also be harmful if they steal nutrients from another living organism. When most people think of fungi they picture the mushrooms that we eat. True, mushrooms are important fungi, but there are other forms such as molds and yeasts.
Structure: The main identifying characteristic of fungi is the makeup of their cell walls. Many contain a nitrogenous substance known as “”chitin,”” which is not found in the cell walls of plants, but can be found in the outer shells of some crabs and mollusks. Most fungi are multicellular (made up of many cells), with the exception of the yeasts. The cells make up a network of branching tubes known as “”hyphae,”” and a mass of hyphae is called a “”mycelium.”” The insides of the cells look a little different than bacterial cells. First of all, the genetic material is gathered together and enclosed by a membrane in what is called the “”nucleus.”” Also, there are other structures called “”organelles”” in the cell that help the cell to function, such as mitochondria (converts energy), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (makes complex proteins), and other organelles. The Golgi apparatus forms many types of proteins and enzymes. Lysosomes contain enzymes and help digest nutrients. Centrioles are necessary for proper division of the cell. Both bacteria and fungi have ribosomes, but those of the bacteria are smaller in size and also reproduce differently.
Reproduction: Fungi can reproduce in multiple ways depending upon the type of fungus and the environmental conditions:
Budding
Fragmentation
Production of spores asexually
Production of spores sexually
Budding occurs in yeasts, which are only made up of one cell. Budding is somewhat similar to binary fission in bacteria, in that the single cell divides into two separate cells.
Fragmentation is a mode of reproduction used by those fungi that form hyphae. During fragmentation, some of the hyphae break off and simply start growing as new individuals.
Spores are tiny single cells that are produced by fungi that have hyphae. They can be produced asexually by a process in which the tips of the hyphae form specially encased cells – the spores. Some fungi also produce spores sexually. Two types of special cells called “”gametes”” are produced. One of each type unite to produce a new individual spore. Spores are tiny single cells that are usually very resistant to environmental changes. They can remain dormant for long periods of time until the conditions are right for them to develop into mature individuals.
Hosts and resistance: Fungi are heterotrophs, meaning that they secrete digestive enzymes and absorb the resulting soluble nutrients from whatever they are growing on. For this reason they are great decomposers in the ecosystem, but they can also cause problems when they begin to absorb nutrients from a living organism. They most commonly are breathed in or have contact with the skin. If conditions are right and they start to reproduce, disease can result. Some antifungal agents are available to treat these infections, but it has been much more difficult for scientists to create successful antifungal drugs than antibacterial drugs because the cells of fungi are much closer in structure to the cells of animals than are bacteria.
In creating drugs, it is hard to find an agent that will kill the fungal cells and leave the animal cells unharmed. The most successful drugs that have been created prevent the formation of chitin, and therefore prevent the fungus from creating new cell walls and spreading. The cell wall is the only structure that is not shared by the animal and fungal cells. Other drugs bind to specific fungal proteins and prevent growth. Unfortunately, many of the drugs available are only fungistatic, meaning they can only prevent further growth rather than fungicidal, meaning to kill the fungus. Many of the drugs used for serious fungal infections have potentially toxic side effects.
Which diseases are which?
When a pet or a human contracts an infection, it is important to understand how the disease works, and where it came from. This is important for treatment, as well as to protect other animals or humans from becoming ill. The following table categorizes some common diseases in various species of animals as viral, bacterial, or fungal.
Bulgaria, Sofia
Wodonga, Victoria
St. Louis, Missouri
Portugal, Lisbon
Lesotho Maseru
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek
Montenegro, Podgorcia,
Victorville California USA
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
San Buenaventura (Ventura), California
Parasites may be protozoa, fungi, or multi-cellular organisms. Many parasites have complex life cycles that insure their proliferation and survival.
Protozoa
As mentioned above, protozoa have a more complex organization than bacteria. Some protozoa form cysts that protect them from harsh conditions and enable them to live outside of a host for a long time. Some diseases caused by protozoans are:
Malaria (transmitted by mosquitos) is most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa
Leishmaniasis (transmitted by sandflies which are about one-third the size of mosquitoes)
African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness transmitted by the tsetse fly)
Amoebic dysentery – infection of the intestine caused by an ameba (Entamoeba histolytica), which causes severe diarrhea.
Coccidiosis – intestinal infection that causes bloody diarrhea.
Cryptosporidiosis – parasitic disease of the intestine caused by Cryptosporidium.
Giardial enteritis – an infection of the small intestine caused by Giardia lamblia.
Toxoplasmosis – a systemic parasitic infection transmitted by eating undercooked meat or contamination by cat feces.
Malaria, a debilitating disease that causes high fevers, is contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito. The parasite reproduces within the human liver and red blood cells (shown above), and it is transmitted back to other mosquitos when they feed on the infected person. Mosquitoes and flies are also vectors of parasitic diseases such as sleeping sickness and elephantiasis.
Fungi
Fungi include one-celled yeasts slightly bigger than bacteria, and multi-celled mushrooms and molds. Fungi do not have chlorophyll to make their own food, so they get their nutrition as parasites or by breaking down remains of dead plants or animals. Some fungi are poisonous (e.g., Amanita mushrooms), but some have beneficial uses. For example, Penicillium notatum produces the antibiotic penicillin and Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the yeast used to make bread rise and to brew beer. Fungal diseases are called mycoses and include:
Aspergillosis – infection of sinuses and lungs
Blastomycosis – skin and pulmonary infections
Candidiasis – cutaneous and vaginal infections. Candida albicans is the most common cause of vaginal yeast infections.
Coccidioidomycosis – may cause cough, chest pain, shortness of breath
Cryptococcosis – may be transmitted in pigeon droppings
Multicellular parasites
Multicellular parasites include various kinds of worms and fungi that cause diseases such as:
Ascariasis (roundworms)
Hookworm
Lymphatic filariasis or elephantiasis (transmitted by mosquitos)
Pinworm
Schistosomiasis (liver or blood flukes)
Tapeworm
Trichinosis – a disease caused by consumption of poorly cooked meat that contains cysts of Trichinella spiralis.
Tinea corporis, tinea pedis (ringworm, athlete’s foot)
Russia, Moscow
Colombia Bogota
Denmark, Copenhagen,
Macedonia, Skjope
South Bend, Indiana
Miramar Florida USA
Columbia, South Carolina
City of Shoalhaven, Australia
Russian Federation, Moscow City
Baqal, United Arab Emirates, Baqal, UAE
Bacteria are very different from viruses. First of all, bacteria are much larger in size. The largest virus is only as big as the very smallest bacterium (singular for bacteria). But bacteria are still microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are so small that the sizes of bacteria are measured in micrometers (10,000 micrometers = 1 centimeter). By comparison, the head of a pin is about 1000 micrometers wide. Though more complex than a virus, the structure of a bacterium is still relatively simple.
Structure: Most bacteria have an outer, rigid cell wall. This provides shape and support. Lining the inside of the cell wall is a plasma membrane. This is like the membrane found around all living cells that provides both a boundary for the contents of the cell and a barrier to substances entering and leaving. The content inside the cell is called “”cytoplasm.”” Suspended in the cytoplasm are ribosomes (for protein synthesis), the nucleoid (concentrated genetic material), and plasmids (small, circular pieces of DNA, some of which carry genes that control resistance to various drugs). All living cells have ribosomes, but those of bacteria are smaller than those found in any other cell. Some antibacterial medicines have been made that attack the ribosomes of a bacterium, leaving it unable to produce proteins, and therefore killing it. Because the ribosomes are different, the cells of the host are left unharmed by the antibiotic. Other antibiotics target certain portions of the cell wall. Some bacteria have long, whip-like structures called “”flagella”” that they use for movement.
Bacteria can occur in three basic shapes:
Coccus (spheres)
Bacillus (rods)
Spirillum (spirals)
Bacterial Shapes
Name Basic Shape Example
(electron micrograph)
Coccus (sphere)
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacillus (rod)
(starting to divide)
Salmonella typhi
Spirillum (spiral)
Campylobacter jejuni
Reproduction: Bacteria undergo a type of asexual reproduction known as “”binary fission.”” This simply means they divide in two, and each new bacterium is a clone of the original – they each contain a copy of the same DNA. Bacteria can reproduce very quickly. In fact, in an ideal laboratory situation, an entire population of bacteria can double in only twenty minutes. At this enormous growth rate, one bacterium could become a BILLION (1,000,000,000) bacteria in just 10 hours! Luckily, there are neither enough nutrients nor space available to support this rapid growth, or the world would be overrun with bacteria. As it is, bacteria can be found living on almost any surface and in almost any climate in the world.
Hosts and resistance: As stated, bacteria can grow nearly everywhere. These microbes have been around for billions of years because they are able to adapt to the ever-changing environment. They can find a home anywhere, and some of them live in places where it was once thought ‘nothing’ could survive. There are bacteria in the soil, at the depths of the ocean, living in the mouth of volcanoes, on the surfaces of teeth, and in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. They are everywhere and are very numerous. For example, a single teaspoon of soil is said to contain at least 1,000,000,000 bacteria. Most often, bacteria are thought of as a bad thing, but most bacteria are not pathogenic (disease-causing). In fact, many bacteria are very helpful to us. There are species that decompose trash, clean up oil spills, and even produce medicines. The few species that are pathogenic, however, give the rest of the bacteria a bad name.
Pathogens are rated on two characteristics – invasiveness and toxigenicity. Invasiveness is a measure of the bacterium’s ability to grow inside the host, and toxigenicity measures the capacity of the bacterium to produce toxins (chemical substances that cause damage to the host). The combination of these two characteristics gives the final rating of the bacteria’s virulence (ability to cause disease). A species does not necessarily need to have both high invasiveness and high toxigenicity to be rated highly virulent. One or the other can be high enough to cause the bacterium to be very virulent. For example, the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (causes pnuemonia) does not produce a toxin, but it is so highly invasive that it causes the lungs to fill up with fluid from the immune response. In contrast, the bacteria Clostridium tetani (causes tetanus) is not very invasive, but it produces a potent toxin that causes damage at a very small concentration.
How does the body fight off a bacterial infection? Again, the body mounts an immune response to the foreign invader, producing antibodies for immediate help and future protection. Since this process takes about a week, antibiotics are usually employed in the meantime. Antibiotic drugs are usually only successful in treating bacterial infections, not viral, or fungal infections. Professionals are becoming concerned that the overuse of antibiotics when they are not needed may lead to the mutation of normal bacteria into antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Bacteria are very resilient and have already developed resistance to many antibiotics. Another concern is that the helpful bacteria that live in the digestive tract may also fall prey to the antibiotics. These bacteria, known as “”natural flora,”” produce vitamins that the host organism uses and needs, as well as help in the digestion of food.
Norfolk, Virginia
Miami, Florida
Malta, Valetta,
Belarus, Minsk,
Montgomery, Alabama
Newark New Jersey USA
Pembroke Pines, Florida
Yonkers, New York
Warrnambool Victoria Australia
Al Hayrah, United Arab Emirates, Al Hayrah, UAE
It is nice to think that this planet belongs to us but, the fact is, we have to share it with many other living forms, including microorganisms: bacteria, viruses and fungi. At this very moment, where ever you may be, there are billions of invisible microorganisms right next to you: in the ground you’re standing on, in the water you drink, the food you eat and in the air you’re inhaling.
If you think there must be a few of them inside your body as well, you’re right: micro-organisms in your intestine, on the skin, in your mouth, nose and scattered throughout the body, outnumber your body cells by a wide margin. Most of them are bacteria and the rest are viruses and fungi.
Normally, these bugs don’t cause health problems, because your immune system keeps them in check. We coexisted for millions of years, simply because humans, through natural selection, have come out with the adequate defending mechanisms.
However, the merciless law of natural selection can turn very different face to you. As long as you are healthy, those tiny bugs have little chance of harming you. But if your health is for any reason compromised (nutrient deficiency caused by poor diet, stress, trauma, unhealthy lifestyle, genetics, age, etc.), they can overwhelm weakened body defenses, over-multiply, and cause a disease. The statistics are telling: infectious diseases are #1 cause of death in children and the elderly.
That makes these tiny bugs worth a closer look. Any of the three main form of microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, and fungi – can and does cause a human disease.
Bacterial infections
Bacteria are single-cell plant organisms, most of them only a few microns (micron=0.001mm) in size. What separates bacteria from all other cellular forms is that they lack the nucleus. Most bacteria are doing great job at recycling, transforming and composting organic matter; our life, as we know it, just wouldn’t be possible without them.
They also inhabit our skin, mouth, intestine – and pretty much the entire body. Healthy adult intestine has roughly 50 trillion generally friendly bacteria in it, helping digestion and keeping bad bugs from over-multiplying.
Most of the intestinal bacteria are numerous species of bacteroides. While normally friendly, or at least harmless, some of them – notably B. fragilis – are opportunistic pathogens and can cause infections – commonly associated with abscess formation – when spread out of the intestines to any other part of the body. Internal infections that they cause can be very serious, more so due to high antibiotic resistance of these bacteria. The chances for this kind of infection to occur are particularly high with inflamed, leaky intestines, commonly associated with weakened immune system.
Some intestinal bacteria – like lactobacillus and bifidum – are always friendly and health supporting. That earned them the name probiotic bacteria , which could be translated as pro (your) life. You want them to be there at all times, and in good numbers: 10 to 20 trillion of them. Their numbers can be suppressed by poor diet choices – excess of sugary and processed foods – and compromised digestion, both promoting other, unfriendly bacterial forms, as well as by frequent or prolonged use of antibiotics, which indiscriminately kill them. Periodic supplementation with probiotic bacteria can be vital for keeping your gut – and your entire body – healthy.
Out of some 100 trillion bacteria living in your body, only a small fraction is potentially harmful (pathogenic). They usually don’t cause infection until given the opportunity to multiply extensively. In general, this occurs due to weakened immune system. Pathogenic bacteria can also infect the body from the outside – through air, food, or by physical contact.
Less than 1% of all bacteria can cause bacterial infection. Their metabolism produces toxins that damages body cells and disrupts body processes. Most often, it is their toxins that produce symptoms of infectious (bacterial) disease. Bacterial diseases affect most often skin, respiratory tract, gastro-intestinal and urinary tract, but also other areas of the body.
Albania, Tirana
Boise, Idaho
Columbia, Missouri
Mackay, Queensland
Uganda Kampala
Horsham, Victoria
Boise Idaho USA
Bahamas Nassau
Bayswater Victoria Australia
Washington, District of Columbia
Diseases can be classified as genetic, metabolic, or infectious. Genetic diseases are caused by genetic defects inherited from the parents. Sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis are two examples of genetic diseases. Metabolic diseases are those that may develop from the failure of normal bodily functions, but may also be inherited. Diabetes mellitus, for example, is a metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar level resulting from insufficient insulin secretion by the pancreas. Obesity is a major contributing factor to adult-onset diabetes. Infectious diseases or communicable diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites that use our body as a host for reproduction. Tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS are responsible for approximately half of all deaths caused by infectious diseases worldwide.
Viruses are pieces of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein that replicate only within the cells of living hosts.
Bacteria are one-cell microorganisms with a simple cellular organization whose nucleus lacks a membrane.
Parasites may be protozoa, yeasts, or multicellular organisms such as fungi or worms that live in or on a host to obtain nourishment without providing any benefit to the host.
Hygiene
Hygiene is the science that deals with the promotion and preservation of health by reducing harmful levels of germs through cleanliness and sterilization. The two most common hygienic practices are: 1) washing hands and food preparation areas with soap, and 2) cooking food and boiling drinking water. Washing with soap removes oils and breaks up dirt particles so they may be washed away, whereas cooking and boiling kill harmful organisms that cannot be removed by washing. You can prevent diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites by keeping a clean environment and by handling food in a sanitary manner. Most intestinal parasites are transmitted by contact with feces from an infected person or pet. These are some of the most important sanitation practices to help you maintain your health:
Wash your hands before cooking or eating.
Wash your hands after using the bathroom, changing a child’s diapers, shaking hands, handling money, touching door handles, elevator buttons, light switches, handrails in public places, and handling pets.
Do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth, or any food after touching any contaminated surfaces until after you have washed your hands. Wear gloves to prevent contamination.
Keep cutting boards and food preparation areas clean by washing them with soap and water and allowing them to dry thoroughly.
Cook meats and seafood. Cooking to a temperature of 180°F (82°C) will kill disease-causing organisms. Use a meat thermometer when cooking roasts or whole turkeys to be sure food is cooked to a safe temperature.
Keep raw food away from cooked food. Avoid cross-contamination by using separate plates for the cooked and the raw food.
Drink purified water and use purified water for washing hands and cleaning food preparation areas. Water can be purified by boiling for a few minutes or by chemical treatments such as chlorination.
Keep food refrigerated to delay spoilage. Low temperatures slow down reproduction of bacteria.
Don’t let cooked food sit at room temperature too long. Food should be promptly packed in shallow containers so it can chill quickly, and put in the refrigerator. Keeping food refrigerated at or below 4°C/40°F slows down bacterial growth.
Vegetables that are eaten raw, such as carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., should be washed thoroughly. The vinegar in some salad dressings will also kill many types of bacteria.
Wash fruits that are cut, such as melons, to avoid transferring any dirt or contamination from the outside of the fruit to the inside during cutting.
Do not eat spoiled food, or any food that has an unpleasant smell or taste. You cannot always see, smell or taste harmful organisms. When in doubt, throw out old food rather than risk getting sick.
Breathe clean air. Avoid smoky, dusty, musty environments, or confined places where people are coughing or sneezing. Wearing a surgical face mask can reduce the chances of contracting or spreading diseases caused by infectious organisms carried in the droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Avoid insect bites by using window screens, mosquito netting, insect repellents, and by being indoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. Many viral, bacterial, and protozoan diseases are transmitted by insect bites from mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks. Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include Dengue Fever, Malaria, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever, and various types of viral encephalitis such as West Nile virus.
Avoid walking barefoot on soil or swimming in water contaminated by feces. Hookworm and schistosomiasis infections start when the larvae penetrate the skin. It is possible to get parasites from cats and dogs. Test your pets for parasites regularly and dispose of their feces in a sanitary manner.
To prevent wart infections and athlete’s foot, avoid walking barefoot in public areas such as showers or communal changing rooms. Avoid sharing shoes and socks.
Brush and floss your teeth every day before going to bed to prevent gum diseases and dental decay.
Many diseases are transferred by close contact with an infected individual. Be very selective in your intimate personal relationships, and avoid touching any sores, feces, or body fluids from a sick person.
Lichtenstein, Vaduz
Ukraine, Kiev,
Arvada, Colorado
Romania, Bucharest
Seattle, Washington
Afghanistan, Kabul
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Chesapeake Virginia USA
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
The severity of radiation sickness depends on the dose that was absorbed in the body. The greater the dose, the sicker a person gets. Moderate levels of radiation will cause people to feel symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pain a few hours after their exposure. They will feel extreme fatigue and all-over weakness, and could faint every now and then. The areas of skin exposed to radiation will appear like severe sunburn, then sores may form, and skin infection may develop.
After the first round of flu-like signs and symptoms, a victim may appear well for a brief period. Then severe and new symptoms may follow shortly as there will be loss of white blood cells and drop in the production of new blood cells. This may result in a loss of appetite, diarrhea, and fever.
Radiation poisoning can also cause bleeding in the nose, mouth, gums and rectum. Exposure to doses of 300 rems or more can produce symptoms such as hair loss, bleeding and shedding of the lining on the gastrointestinal tract. High levels of radiation can damage small blood vessels that could lead to heart failure and then death.
Possible Radiation Risks from Fukushima Plant
As of today, experts cannot determine the eventual impact of the radiation from the nuclear reactors in Japan . Radiation continues to soar and high level of cesium and other substances were detected. Leaking water at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor 2 has been measured at 1,000 millisieverts /hour, which is 10 million times higher than the usual.
Most experts agree that even a low dose of ionizing radiation —as low as 100 millisieverts—can increase the risk to cancer. Exposure to one sievert of radiation could increase by 5% the lifetime risk to cancer. Children will have an increased risk of developing thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
Based on the status report on Japan’s nuclear plant crisis, radiation amounts from the damaged nuclear reactors are miniscule if compared to previous nuclear plant fallouts; but, unfortunately, even a small dose can have significant health effects, and much more on the young and the weak.
Aurora, Colorado
Russia, Moscow,
Mildura, Victoria
Sweden, Stockholm
Lewisville, Texas
Durham, North Carolina
Holland, Amsterdam,
Hervey Bay Queensland Australia
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo,
Winston-Salem North Carolina USA
In general, it takes a pretty high dose of radiation to increase cancer risk, Higley said. For instance, there were reports that one Japanese worker was exposed to 10 rem (100 millisievert, mSV), a measurement of radiation dose. From that exposure, his lifetime cancer risk would go up about half a percent, Higley said. According to Higley, the dose is the equivalent of about five CT scans . Americans are exposed to about 0.3 rem (3 mSv) each year from natural sources, such as the sun.
Potentially, exposure to any type of radiation can increase cancer risk, with higher exposure increasing the risk, Bouville said.
No increases in cancer rates were observed after the release of radioactive from a power plant on Three Mile Island, Pa., in 1979, Zablotska said.
Radiation sickness
A person’s risk of getting sick depends on how much radiation the body absorbs. Those exposed to high levels of radiation, about 200 rem, (2000 millisievert ) could develop radiation sickness, Bouville said. A chest X-ray is about 0.02 rem, (0.2 millisieverts mSv), according to the Interational Atomic Energy Agency.
People are exposed to about 0.24 rem (2.4 mSv) per year from natural background radiation in the environment, the IAEA says.
Radiation sickness is often fatal and can produce such symptoms as bleeding and shedding of the lining on the gastrointestinal tract, Zablotska said. About 140 people suffered from it as a result of the Chernobyl accident, Zablotska said.
A radiation dose of 40 rem, (400 mSv) per hour was reported at one of the Japanese power plants at one point following the March 11 earthquakes and tsunami that damaged their cooling systems, according to the IAEA. This is a high dose but was isolated to a single location, the IAEA says.
“”That is definitely an area where you do not want to stay for prolonged period,”” Higley said. She notes that a total dose of 400 to 600 rem can be lethal. But the radiation levels have been decreasing after the observed spike, she said. She speculates the spike may have been due to the release of a puff of radioactive material when pressure dropped at the facility.
Senegal, Dakar,
Barbados, Bridgetown
Norman, Oklahoma
Burbank, California
Luxembourg, Luxembourg,
Sierra Leone, Freetown
Moe Victoria Australia
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Brisbane Queensland Australia
Athabat, United Arab Emirates, Athabat, UAE
