The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the causative agent for RSV infection.RSV belongs to the family of enveloped Paramyxovirus RNA viruses. The virus that causes measles is distantly related to it. There are two subgroups of RSV virus strains, A and B.

 It specifically targets the bronchioles, which are tiny airways in your lungs. One of the most typical reasons for pediatric illness is RSV. The virus typically infects youngsters by the age of two.  Can also infect adults. 

RSV is a seasonal illness like the influenza virus, which causes the flu. In most areas, the virus causes most infections in the late fall through early spring.

Spread:

RSV is transferred by close contact with an infected person. The virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and it can enter your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth. RSV can survive on hard surfaces like doorknobs and counters. RSV can infect you if you contact with something that the virus has touched and then touch your face or lips. 

RSV spreads quickly. In the first few days or weeks after the onset of symptoms, the sickness is easiest to spread. Some infants and others with low immune systems may continue to be contagious up to four weeks after the onset of their symptoms.

Symptoms:

RSV symptoms might take two to eight days to manifest once the virus has entered your body. They might not always appear all at once. RSV's primary signs and symptoms include:

• Coughing.
• Runny nose.
• Sneezing.
• Wheezing.
• Fever.

Diagnosis:

 A healthcare professional will make an RSV diagnosis after looking over your medical history and knowing more about your symptoms. The virus can be found with a swab test. To check for infection-related symptoms (such as an abnormal white blood cell count), they may also draw blood.

 If your doctor suspects a more serious illness, additional blood or urine tests may be requested, as well as imaging exams (X-rays, CT scans).

Treatment:

Mild RSV symptoms resemble those of the common cold and don't need medical attention. Usually, RSV clears up on its own after one to two weeks.

At-home remedies for mild RSV that could make you feel better include:

• Using over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to relieve fever or pain, such as acetaminophen (TYLENOL®) or ibuprofen (Advil®). Never give aspirin to your child for a fever. Before using any over-the-counter cold remedies, especially ones you intend to give a child, see your doctor to ensure their safety.
• Maintaining hydration with drinks while eating frequently, even if you don't feel like eating.
• Not vaping or using tobacco products.
• If your doctor advises it, use a cold mist vaporizer to relieve dry breathing passages.
• Saline nasal drops can be used to break up nasal mucus.
• Using a tissue to blow your nose can help keep your airways clear or gently suctioning any excess mucus from your baby's nose.
• Getting lots of sleep

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that’s passed between people through skin-to-skin contact. There are more than 100 different types of HPV, more than 40 of which are transmitted through sexual contact and can harm your mouth, throat, and genitalia. The most prevalent sexually transmitted illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is HPV (STI).

Even if they have few sexual partners, it will happen to the majority of sexually active persons at some point since it is so prevalent. There may be instances of genital HPV infection that have no negative health effects. However, some kinds of HPV can result in the growth of genital warts as well as throat, cervix, and anus malignancies.

SPREAD: 

By engaging in vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a carrier of the virus, you can contract HPV. The most frequent ways for it to spread are through anal or vaginal sexual activity. Additionally, it can spread through close skin-to-skin contact. Even if they show no signs or symptoms, an HPV-positive individual can still transmit the infection to another person.

Even if you have only had one sexual encounter, if you are sexually active, you can contract HPV. You also can get symptoms years after having sexual contact with someone who has the illness. Knowing when you originally received it is difficult as a result.

SYMPTOMS:

Since HPV infections frequently have no symptoms, you might not be aware that you have one. Where symptoms do develop, they will differ depending on the HPV strain. Genital warts are caused by one of the most prevalent HPV strains. Many persons who carry this HPV strain won't have any symptoms or be aware that they are infected.

Genital wart symptoms include:

• one or more tiny, flesh-colored or grey, painless growths or bumps on your upper thighs, vagina, penis, or anus
• itching or bleeding from the anus or genitalia
• a persistent deviation from the typical direction of your urination, like passing urine sideways.

If the warts are inside, they could be difficult to see (inside the vagina or anus).

After coming in touch with the virus that causes genital warts, symptoms might take weeks, months, or even years to develop. It's crucial to attend a clinic to get any genital wart symptoms evaluated if you have them.

HEALTH PROBLEMS:

Health issues caused by HPV include

• Genital warts
• Cervical cancer.

A person's "HPV status" cannot be determined with a test. In addition, there is no approved HPV test to detect the virus in the throat or mouth. Cervical cancer can be screened for with HPV testing. These tests are exclusively used by medical professionals to check women who are 30 years of age and older. Men, teenagers, and women under the age of 30 should not be screened for HPV testing. 

Most HPV carriers are unaware of their infection. They never experience any symptoms or health issues as a result. When they develop genital warts, some people learn they have HPV. Women may find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result (during cervical cancer screening). Others could learn about HPV only after experiencing more severe issues, like cancer.

TREATMENT: 

The HPV virus has no known cure, and the majority of infections are painless. If HPV results in issues like genital warts or changes to cervix cells, treatment is required. 

1. Genital warts (low-risk HPV): Genital warts can be removed more easily the earlier they receive the treatment. Creams, freezing, or heating might be used to get rid of the warts. This is dependent on the kind of warts and their location. A healthcare professional should always be consulted before employing any genital wart treatments. The virus that causes warts cannot be cured, despite the fact that various therapies can eradicate the warts themselves. However, the bodies of some individuals can eventually rid themselves of the infection.
2. Cancer-causing HPV (high-risk HPV): If a cervical screening test reveals abnormal cells on the cervix, it may be required to remove them in order to prevent the growth of cancer-causing HPV (high-risk HPV). Being tested early has two benefits. First, find and eliminate HPV-related precancerous lesions. In order to stop invasive malignancies from growing, these are removed. Early detection of cervical cancers through screening also increases the likelihood that they will be successfully operated upon when discovered at an early stage.

In rare cases, a woman with HPV can pass it on to her baby. When this happens, a rare but serious condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis may occur. In this condition, children develop HPV-related growths in their airways.

HPV infection during pregnancy increases the risk of developing genital warts or cervix abnormal cell alterations. Regular screening for cervical cancer can aid in identifying abnormal cell alterations. Even while you are pregnant, you should have routine cervical cancer screening.

PREVENTION:

There are various things you may do to lessen your risk of contracting HPV.

Get vaccinated: 

The HPV vaccine is both secure and reliable. When administered at the prescribed age ranges, it can offer protection against illnesses (including malignancies) brought on by HPV.

Get a cervical cancer screening:

Cervical cancer can be prevented in women between the ages of 21 and 65 with routine screening.

If you engage in sexual activity:

• Practice safer sexual activity
• Be in a committed monogamous relationship, or limit your sexual activity to that person.

            Aug. 31, 2021 -- Johnson & Johnson has ended a clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine after it failed to provide sufficient protection for young women in sub-Saharan Africa who were at high risk of acquiring HIV.

           The study, called Imbokodo, had 2,600 women participants across five countries -- Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the company said in a news release. The vaccine did not cause harm and was well tolerated, but only provided a 25.2% efficacy.

“Based on these results, the Imbokodo study will not continue,” the news release said.

Johnson & Johnson said the search for an HIV vaccine will not stop.

"While we are disappointed that the vaccine candidate did not provide a sufficient level of protection against HIV infection in the Imbokodo trial, the study will give us important scientific findings in the ongoing pursuit for a vaccine to prevent HIV,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., vice chairman of the Executive Committee and chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson.

"Although this is certainly not the study outcome for which we had hoped, we must apply the knowledge learned from the Imbokodo trial," Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in a news release on the National Institutes of Health website.

The Imbokodo trial's investigational vaccine is based on the same viral platform as J&J's COVID-19 vaccine. According to the company, research participants will be notified of the findings and will have follow-up appointments with the study investigators.

According to Reuters, the vaccine study was closely observed because HIV, which causes AIDS, claimed the lives of 680,000 people last year. While certain treatments can put the condition in remission, eradication requires an efficient vaccine. In the five Sub-Saharan African countries surveyed, women and girls accounted for 63 percent of all new HIV infections in 2020.

SOURCE:

o      Johnson & Johnson. “Johnson & Johnson and Global Partners Announce Results from Phase 2b Imbokodo HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial in Young Women in Sub-Saharan Africa”

o      NIH. “HIV Vaccine Candidate Does Not Sufficiently Protect Women Against HIV Infection”

o       Reuters: “J&J's HIV vaccine fails trial in latest blow to the field”

OVERVIEW:

         Take care to avoid mosquito bites if you live in or are visiting a malaria-prone area. Mosquitoes are most active at night and early in the morning. To avoid mosquito bites, you should take the following precautions:

• Ensure that your skin is well-protected.
• Use an insect repellent on your skin to keep insects at bay.
• Repellent should be applied on clothing.
• Sleeping with a net over your head is a good idea.

Malaria preventative and treatment medications are frequently interchangeable. Where you're going, how long you'll be gone, and your personal health all influence the drug you take.

CAUSES:

         Yellow fever is caused by a virus carried by the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. Mosquitoes thrive in and around human settlements, breeding in even the purest water. The yellow fever virus is most usually found in humans and monkeys.

When a mosquito bites you, the yellow fever virus (or flavivirus) is transmitted. When mosquitoes bite a human or a monkey infected with the virus, they become infected. It is impossible for the sickness to transfer from one person to another.

YELLOW FEVER SYMPTOMS:

        The yellow fever virus incubates in the body for 3 to 6 days after infection. Many people do not have symptoms, but when they do, the following are the most common:

1. Fever
2. Muscle aches and pains, as well as a severe backache
3. Headache
4. Appetite loss.
5. Vomiting or nausea.

     Symptoms usually disappear after 3 to 4 days.

Within 24 hours of recovering from initial symptoms, a tiny percentage of patients, however, enter a second, more hazardous phase. A high fever returns, affecting multiple body systems, most notably the liver and kidneys. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, thus the name 'yellow fever'), black urine, and abdominal pain with vomiting are also common at this stage. Bleeding from the lips, nose, eyes, or stomach is possible. In the toxic phase, half of the patients die within 7 to 10 days.

DIAGNOSIS:

          Yellow fever is notoriously difficult to diagnose, particularly in its early stages. It's easy to mix up a more serious instance with:

• Malaria is a serious illness.
• Leptospirosis
• Poisoning, viral hepatitis, other hemorrhagic fevers, infection with other flaviviruses (such as dengue hemorrhagic fever), and other flavivirus infections

The virus can sometimes be detected in the early stages of the disease through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in blood and urine. Antibody testing will be required at a later stage..

TREATMENT:

          Yellow fever has no known cure. Yellow fever treatment entails managing symptoms and aiding your immune system in battling the infection by doing the following:

• Getting adequate fluids via your veins, if necessary
• Obtaining oxygen
• Keeping a normal blood pressure
• Getting blood transfusions is a common occurrence.
• If you have kidney failure, you may need dialysis.
• Getting treatment for any other infections that may arise

RISK FACTORS:

•  If you visit to a region where the yellow fever virus is still carried by mosquitoes, you may be at risk of contracting the sickness. Sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America are among these regions.
• Even if there are no recent reports of infected persons in certain places, you are still at risk. It's possible that the local population has been vaccinated and is immune to the disease, or that yellow fever cases have simply not been identified and recorded.
• If you plan on visiting these places, you can protect yourself by getting a yellow fever vaccine at least a few weeks ahead of time.
• The yellow fever virus can infect anyone at any time.                           

PREVENTION:

           The best approach to avoid getting infected with the Yellow Fever virus is to avoid mosquito bites. Mosquitoes can bite at any time of day or night. If vaccination is suggested for you, use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, treat clothing and gear, and be vaccinated before visiting..

LEARN MORE ABOUT DISEASE CAUSED BY MOSQUITO BITES