January 2006

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is infectious diarrhea?
A. Infectious diarrhea is an alteration of normal bowel habits, usually characterized by increased stool frequency and liquid consistency, which is caused by infectious bacteria, viruses or protozoa that infect the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. The infectious organisms are normally contracted by ingestion of contaminated water or food. Some of the more well-known organisms causing infectious diarrhea include Campylobacter, enterotoxigenic or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Clostridium, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora and rotavirus.
Q. How common are infectious diarrheal diseases?
A. Infectious diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are 3.1 million deaths worldwide due to diarrhea per year (more than 8,400 per day), mostly among children in developing areas. In the United States, an estimated 211- 357 million episodes of diarrheal illness occur each year resulting in 73 million physician consultations, 1.8 million hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths. The CDC issued a new study November 22, 2002 reporting that outbreaks of waterborne illnesses roughly doubled in the U.S. in a three-year period ending in 2000. Studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of children in the United States are exposed to Cryptosporidium by age 5-7 years. Approximately 9% of all hospitalizations of children younger than 5 years are due to diarrheaContinue Reading Diarrhea: It’s not just an inconvenience

Health department officials think outbreak of illness may be contained
January 22, 2006
Kathleen O’Dell
News-Leader
STOCKTON – Cedar County Health Department officials think they may have contained an outbreak of shigellosis, an illness that causes diarrhea and can lead to severe dehydration.
In recent weeks officials confirmed 18 cases and seven probable cases of the disease, which is caused by the shigella family of bacteria, said Linda Mann, manager of community services. She has not seen any new cases reported in the past week, and credits the school system for helping educate parents and children on proper prevention methods ó handwashing with soap.Continue Reading Cases of shigellosis taper off:

Press Release by: Suffolk First
Published on open PR 01-09-2006

What Is Reactive Arthritis?
Reactive arthritis is a form of arthritis, or joint inflammation, that occurs as a “reaction” to an infection elsewhere in the body. Inflammation is a characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease and is marked by swelling, redness, heat, and pain. Besides this joint inflammation, reactive arthritis is associated with two other symptoms: redness and inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis) and inflammation of the urinary tract (urethritis). These symptoms may occur alone, together, or not at all.
Reactive arthritis is also known as Reiter’s syndrome, and your doctor may refer to it by yet another term, as a seronegative spondyloarthropathy. The seronegative spondyloarthropathies are a group of disorders that can cause inflammation throughout the body, especially in the spine. (Examples of other disorders in this group include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and the kind of arthritis that sometimes accompanies inflammatory bowel disease.)Continue Reading What Causes Reactive Arthritis