What Is whooping cough? Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes severe coughing and trouble breathing. A course of antibiotics is used to treat the infection along with home treatment consisting of using a humidifier, drinking plenty of fluids, soups, juices, etc. to prevent dehydration. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes severe...
What Is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. It can be completely cured with the right treatment whch typically consists of medication in a pill form containing a mix of antibiotics. Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. Some people can have the...
The link between scarlet fever and rheumatic fever Scarlet fever is an illness that is caused by a bacterial infection. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory condition that can develop if scarlet fever is not identified and treated early. Scarlet fever, if untreated, may develop into rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a disease that affects your...
What is swine flu? Share Your Story Swine flu symptoms are similar to seasonal flu symptoms and include cough, sore throat, fever, and body aches. Swine flu is contagious. Swine flu is a term that is being replaced by the designation H1N1 influenza and refers to a particular type of influenza virus that has a...
Facts you should know about toxoplasmosis Share Your Story Cats are a common host for Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma infection is acquired from contact with cats and their feces. Toxo is also acquired from eating or touching raw or partly cooked meat. Toxoplasmosis...
Lyme disease can be detected by tests that look for antibodies in the blood. Learn more about Lyme disease testing, stages, and symptoms Lyme disease can be detected by tests that look for antibodies in the blood or in the fluid from the joints or spine. However, antibodies can take 4-6 weeks to be detected...
After exposure to the virus, someone with mono can be contagious for months, even before symptoms start and after symptoms subside Infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, is a contagious disease most commonly caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It’s unclear how long someone with mono is contagious, although they are definitely contagious while they have...
Unvaccinated adults that have not had the disease before can get infected by rubella, although symptoms are usually mild. Rubella or German measles is an acute viral infection that usually affects children and young adults, with most outbreaks occurring in young adults and unvaccinated adults who have not had the disease before. Adults with the...
Facts you should know about bird flu (avian flu) Avian (bird) flu symptoms include sore throat, cough, fever, and nausea. Bird flu (avian flu or avian influenza) refers to strains of influenza that primarily affect wild and domesticated birds but can occasionally and sporadically infect humans. Bird flu is named with H or N depending...
What is the bladder? Antibiotic treatment can resolve a bladder infection or UTI quickly. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ that is located in the pelvis. The bladder has two functions: one is to store urine and the other is to release/expel urine. Urine drains from the kidneys (one on each side of the...