All posts by : jiranan

Definition

Three or more liquid or watery stools in a 24-hour period are considered as diarrhea. Diarrhea may also be bloody, called dysentery. An episode of diarrhea lasting for less than 14 days is defined as acute diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea is defined as an episode of diarrhea that begins acutely and lasts for at least 14 days.

Etiology

Intestinal infection is the most common cause of acute diarrhea worldwide. The etiologic pathogen may be virus, bacteria, protozoa, or helminth (Table 1). In spite of the numerous diarrhea-causing organisms, recent studies have shown that the majority of cases in virtually all setting are caused by five organisms: rotavirus, E. coli,Shigella, C. jejuni, and C. parvum. Salmonella and V. cholerae are also important causes of acute diarrhea in some developing countries.

Introduction

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease of humans that in recent years has become a major international public health. Globally, 2.5 billion people live in areas where dengue viruses can be transmitted. The geographical spread of both the mosquito vectors and the viruses has led to the global resurgence of epidemic dengue fever (DF) and emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever ( DHF ) in the past 25 years with the development of hyperendemicity in many urban centers of the tropics.

DHF was first recognized in the 1950s during the dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand. By 1970 nine countries had experienced epidemic DHF and now, the number has increased more than fourfold and continues to rise. DHF has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children in several countries.

Japanese encephalitis and vaccines

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an inflammatory disease in the central nervous system including cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord caused by viral infection transmitted by Culex mosquitoes. JE is an important disease in East, Southeast, and South Asia, which lead to serious complication and high mortality rate. Complete cure is shown in only one third of the patients. However the ratio of symptomatic infection with neurological manifestation and asymptomatic infection is 1:25 to 1000. There is no any effective treatment however prevention of JE is possible by avoiding visits to epidemic season, avoiding mosquito bites, and receiving vaccine.