Frostbite

What is frostbite?

Frostbite is an injury in the cold weather. It happens when your skin freezes in the cold and in severe cases, ice crystals gets into your skin cells and they start to die. Frostbite is usually classified into 3 categories, from best case scenario to worst. First, a frostnip is the most common and is a mild form of frostbite. If you live in a place or have been to a place with snow and you get some ice or snow into your glove, you'd probably experience frostnip. The damage of frostnip isn't permanent, although after you go inside and you get warm and cozy, your fingertips will probably heat up, inflame and itch a lot. Then, there's superficial frostbite. This frostbite starts to feel warm and when you get indoors and reheat it, you may get some blisters. Then, the last stage, deep frostbite comes. This is rare if you're just playing in the snow, but can happen for someone trapped in the snow. The skin will now start turning greyish, with probable muscle damage too and definite skin damage. You wouldn't feel cold or pain because your cells are literally dying. After reheating, it would form blisters and the dead skin will turn black and hard. It is possible to die from deep frostbite, but it is really rare and mostly happens when you get infected in the wound. If you die from the cold, it's dying from hypothermia, which is different.

How do you get frostbite?

At 0 to -15 degrees celsius, you get frostbite on the part of the skin exposed in about 30 minutes and under that, it can happen within 15 minutes or quicker. For example, if some snow went into your glove, and you didn't dry the glove and then proceeded to play for 30 more minutes, you would get a frostnip, which would itch and heat up or even inflame a bit.

Symptoms:

- Numbness

- Itch

- Hot and inflamed

- Muscle and joint stiffness

- Hard skin (severe)

- Blisters (severe)

Risks:

Everyone can get a frostbite, but just be careful and try to leave your skin on something cold for a long time.

What if left untreated:

Infection can be caused by bad treatment.

Diagnosis:

- By looking at the skin

- If muscle or bone damage is possible, doctors may do MRI scan or X-Ray

Treatments:

- Painkillers

- Rewarming

- Treating from infection

- Antibiotics (fight infections)

- Amputation (extreme cases)

- TPA (extreme cases)

- Removal of dead tissue

Hypothermia

What is hypothermia?

Hypothermia is a medical condition that happens when your body loses temperature too quickly and falls under the temperature of 35 Degrees Celsius. This is a very dangerous situation and if you stay in hypothermia for a long time, you can possibly die, if not sustain permanent damages to your different organs. It can cause your organs like your heart, lungs, nervous system and brain to fail. 1500 people die from hypothermia in the US every year with the mortality rate from 38% to 84%. The older you are, the more vulnerable you are from hypothermia because your systems are weaker than when you're younger.

How do you get into the state of hypothermia?

You get into hypothermia when your body temperature drops below 35 Degrees Celsius, which when normal, should be 37. It is usually caused by a person spending too much time in the cold, being trapped during winter sports and no one can see them or help them or falling into cold water.

Symptoms:

- Shivering (body trying to heat you up by tightening and relaxing your muscles)

- Confusion (brain not functioning properly)

- Slurring (nervous system not working properly)

- Weak pulse (heart slowing down)

- Weak breath (lungs not functioning properly)

- Shock (blood pressure drop suddenly)

- Unconscious (your organs shut down)

Risks:

- Elderly

- Young babies

- Taking medications

- Alcohol usage

- Sick people

Diagnosis:

- Symptoms

- Blood tests

What if left untreated:

You can die from the complications.

Treatment:

- Warm drinks

- Take some rest

- Keep warm (Don't directly be blown by heat)

Preventions:

- Keep clothes dry

- Wear more clothes

- Wear face coverings

- Don't over work yourself

- Don't stay out for long

- Get back to warmth when you feel too cold

Meningitis

What is Meningitis?

Meningitis is an extremely dangerous disease which causes your meninges, or the membrane surrounding your brain and spinal cord to inflame. There are many types of meningitis, because the inflammation can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and more. Typically if given treatment, 5-10% of people die, but if untreated, about 50% of patients die. Meningitis can even kill a person within 4 hours! Even if treated, the patient can be left with permanent damage to their brains and ears. Patients between 16-23 and younger than 1 are more likely to get meningitis.

Types of Meningitis:

1. Bacterial Meningitis - deadly, caused by bacteria, vaccines available

2. Viral Meningitis - most common, less severe than bacterial, caused by viruses, vaccines available

3. Fungal Meningitis - very rare, caused by fungi, can be caused by inhalation of spores

4. Parasitic Meningitis - rare, caused by parasites

5. PAM - rare, caused by amoeba

6. Non-infectious Meningitis - caused by non-infectious diseases (eg. cancer/drugs)

How do you contract Meningitis?

Bacterial and Viral:

    Coughing, sneezing and in rare occasions, through contact of feces. The bacteria can go into your sinus system and go into a bloodstream, which brings it to the brain.

Fungal: 

    Can be caused by breathing fungal spores in

Parasitic and PAM:

    Consumed parasitic eggs or amoeba in water

Non-infectious:

    Caused by diseases, injuries or some medications

Symptoms:

- Headaches

- Fever

- Stiff neck

- Nausea

- Sensitivity to brightness

- Seizures

- Confusion

Diagnosis needed:

- Lumbar puncture

- Eye examinations

- Ear examinations

- Blood examinations

- CT

- MRI

- EEG 

What if you don't treat it?

It can cause your brain to be damaged permanently or even cause death.

Treatment: 

- Antibiotics (B)

- Treating symptoms (P)

- Antifungal (F)

- Treated by body/anti-viral (V)

Prevention:

PLEASE GET VACCINES! The most risked from meningitis are teenagers without vaccines. But also, stay away from smoking, drinking as much as possible and get more rest.

Tetanus

What is Tetanus?
Tetanus is a disease commonly known as lockjaw, is caused by the bacteria Clostridium Tetani. Just like rabies, Tetanus is quite rare in modern cities and urban areas such as the US, because we have medicines and vaccines for it. Only about 30 people contract tetanus per year in the US, and 2 people die, as shown in 2017, and almost all cases were in people that refused to take the recommended vaccines. However, in the world, about 38000 die yearly of this bacteria, mostly in Africa, and some parts of South America and South Asia.

How do you contract Tetanus?
Tetanus is contracted by spores getting into wounds and the body. It can easily enter your body if you puncture yourself with a nail, or have your wound touch soil, dead leaves, faeces or saliva. If needles are unclean with tetanus spores on it and you inject substances into your body with it, you may get it too. Insect bites can transmit the disease too.

Symptoms:
- Lockjaw
- Muscle spasms and contractions (affect brain and nervous system with neurotoxins)
- Fever and sweating
- Muscle stiffness
- Cannot breath

Diagnosis:
- Physical examination

What if you don't treat it?
Tetanus is fatal because it can cause you to suffocate.

Treatment
- Antibiotics
- Antitoxin
- Cleaning wound properly to prevent anymore tetanus spores from growing

Prevention:
- GET THE TETANUS VACCINE! DON'T DESTROY THE WORLD BY PROMOTE ANTI-VAXXING!
- MOST OF THE 30 PEOPLE WHO GET TETANUS IS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LISTEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS AND DIDN'T GET THE VACCINE
- 3 doses of DTaP 2/4/6 months, 15-18 months, 4-6 years old
- 1 dose of Tdap at 7-10 years old (booster)
- 1 dose of Tdap at 11-18 (booster)
- After being in accident with a big cut or wound (hospitalized), vaccine recommended to prevent catching tetanus
- The vaccines also protect you from Whooping Cough and Diphtheria

Rabies

What is Rabies?
Rabies is a lyssavirus which is extremely severe. It comes from animals. If you don't get treatment after getting symptoms caused by rabies, you have less than 1% chance of surviving. More than 59000 people die per year of rabies, according to the CDC. Only 8 to 10 people are known to have survived rabies without a vaccine, such as the 15-year-old Jeanna Giese. However, the numbers of rabies in developed countries are extremely low. 1-3 people are admitted to the hospital with rabies a year in the United States. Lots of deaths still remain in developing and third-world countries. This is because rabies comes from bats and bats are rarely found in developing countries.

How do you contract Rabies?
Rabies is transmitted when an infected animal's saliva gets into an open wound of a human. The most common way of transmission is after a household pet gets the virus from another infected animal from outside and bites or scratch its victim because animals can get really aggressive with the rabies virus. There is also another method, which when an infected animals saliva touches an open wound or into the person's eyes, nose or mouth, which can be by licking as well.

Symptoms:
Stage 1.  Headache, Heat, Coughing and Runny Nose, Diarrhoea, Tiredness, Loss of Appetite
Stage 2. Aggression, Cramping, Fear, Light sensitivity, Hallucinations
Stage 3. Paralysis, Lock-jaw, Scared of water

Diagnosis needed:
- Direct Fluorescent Antibody test - check for the virus on the brain tissue
- If you show similar symptoms and you've been bitten or scratched by an animal, go to a doctor for a check

What if you don't treat it?
You DIE unless you are EXTREMELY LUCKY.

Treatment:
A rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine is usually for people who contracted the virus. The only people who get it before being infected are people with health conditions or weaker immune systems.

Prevention:
-Vaccinate your pet
-Stay away from wild animals (especially bats)
-Keep your pets away from wild animals
-Call the vet if you see your pet acting weird or have symptoms of rabies

Acne

What is acne?
Acne is a problem a lot of teenager deal with when growing up. It can cause a lot of fuss, and a lot of people like to pop the pimples on their face. Acne can be based on skin conditions, and bad skin protection can cause a lot of acne growing on the skin. It can be really painful to touch and itchy as well. Acne is a group of pimples, or zits growing on the skin, which is caused by wasted materials covering up pores on the skin.

What are pores?
Pores are dots on your skin where hair comes out of. Yes. Each piece of tiny hair on your legs or even hands come from your pores. Skin oil is also produced in the sebaceous glands inside the pores. They produce the oil: sebum to lubricate the hairs.

What causes acne to grow?
Acne is caused by pores that are blocked by lots of dead skin, bacteria and oil.

What can acne cause:
- Blackheads
- Whiteheads
- Papules
- Pustules
- Nodules
- Cysts

Causes:
- Dead skin lying on pores
- Bacterial infection
- Oil accumulation
- Hormones (Puberty)
- Bad diet
- Clogged pore

What if not treated?
It would keep accumulating and the acne would get more serious.

How to treat it?
- Retinoid drugs (gels, creams, lotions)
- Antibiotics
- Salicylic acid
- Azelaic acid
- Dapsone
- Isotretinoin
- Anti-androgen agents
- Combined oral contraceptives
- Lasers therapy
- Photodynamic therapy
- Steroids

Measles, Mumps and Rubella

What is Measles?
Measles Morbillivirus is a disease caused by the rubeola virus. This virus is extremely contagious and can be easily transferred from one person to the other just by coughing and sneezing. Measles is most commonly a childhood virus, although adults can catch the virus as well. Measles is also extremely dangerous, as some parents like to claim the wrong fact that MMR vaccine causes autism and not give them a vaccine. This is why this disease still kills 100000 kids a year, and there had been an outbreak in 2018-2019 in the US.

What is Mumps?
Mumps is a rubulavirus which causes affects the salivary glands, or the glands which produce saliva. Mumps isn't as lethal or serious as measles or rubella, but with complications, it can still kill.

What is Rubella?
Rubella, also known as the "German Measles" is also a viral infection. Measles and Rubella are absolutely different. Although holding some similarities in symptoms and names, Rubella is nowhere near as infectious and severe as measles. Rubella had already been declared as "eliminated" by the CDC.

How do you get it?
Measles: The measles virus can be spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing, and another person passes through because measles can live in the air for about 2 hours. The rash starts about 1-3 weeks after the contraction of the virus, and the rash lasts for 4-5 days.

Mumps: The mumps virus cannot stay long if it is not in the hosts' body, and is spreaded most commonly by coughing and sneezing when nasal fluids and saliva is being breathed in by another person. The symptoms last for about 10 days.

Rubella: The rubella virus can live for an hour in the air, and is also caused by breathing in the sneeze of an infected person. The rash lasts for about 3 days, but lymph nodes and joint pain can last for up to 2 weeks.

Symptoms:
Measles:
- High fever
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Conjunctivitis
- Koplik's spots
- Red flat skin rash

Mumps:
- Pain in the salivary glands
- Pain while eating
- Swelling in salivary glands
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Not wanting to eat

Rubella:
- Red flat rash
- Mild fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Joint pain
- Stuffy nose
- Inflamed eyes
- Headache
- Pink eye

Diagnosis:
- Blood tests
- Lab tests

Treatment:
Measles: Post-exposure vaccinations, immune serum globin, fever reducers, antibiotics, Vitamin A, more rest and water
Mumps and rubella: None, as antibiotics are for bacteria and won't work. The immune system would fight it off, though. Take rests and drink water.

Prevention:
- Isolate yourself if you are sick
- MMR vaccine
( Don't listen to what ex-physician Andrew Wakefield said. MMR vaccines DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. the document had been retracted, and the scientists that worked with him also exposed that the document's info is INCORRECT. )
- Sneeze into tissue or hand to block your nasal fluids from flying everywhere