Holiday Info: Christmas Cacti Allergies

(Click Picture above for the link to Immediate allergic and nonallergic reactions to Christmas and Easter cacti study)

With Christmas coming around the corner many Americans will get themselves and their families Christmas trees and cacti. Approximate numbers of these trees were 33.02 million for real trees and 14.7 million for fake trees (NCTA, 2013). The mass consensus is that the use of Christmas trees are positive yet unfortunately having interactions with the less used Christmas Cacti can sometimes lead to undesirable effects. Individuals who had occupational exposures with Christmas Cacti were separated in groups of "cases" and "controls". After the "case" group was pricked with a Cactus needle, it was determined that 8% of the group was allergic towards Christmas Cacti. These allergies were mild, type 1 allergies that were in the form of urticaria and rhino conjunctivitis (Anderson, Bindslev-Jensen, Paulsen, Stahl, 2014). It was determined that fresh cacti leaves may have a variance in components throughout the year that individuals may have allergic reactions towards, especially ones who are occupationally exposed to cacti. With this noted, if there are any individuals who have the symptoms of urticaria (more commonly known as hives) and/or rhino conjunctivitis after contact with a Christmas Cactus, contact your primary physician or local health care provider to determine if the cactus exposure is the reason for the symptoms. Below are some examples of symptoms linked to an allergic reaction towards Christmas Cacti. -Happy Holidays


urticaria symptoms:  Pruritus, Rash, Lesions, Skin eruptions, Irritation.

rhino conjunctivitis symptoms: nasal congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drip, sneezing, red eyes (conjunctivitis), and itching of the nose or eyes.

References

Immediate allergic and nonallergic reactions to Christmas and Easter cacti. (n.d.). Retrieved December          

        25, 2014, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1398-9995.1999.00016.x/full

National Christmas Tree Association News & Media Industry Statistics Consumer Survey. (n.d.). 

       Retrieved December 25, 2014, from 

       http://www.realchristmastrees.org/dnn/NewsMedia/IndustryStatistics/ConsumerSurvey.aspx

Urticaria. (n.d.). Retrieved December 25, 2014, from 
      http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/u/urticaria/intro.htm

HIV/AIDS in the U.S

HIV/AIDS is often seen as a disease in which only happens in developing countries yet this is not the case. With an influx of transportation availability worldwide and large group of individuals not using STI protection during intercourse as well as use of dirty needles, the disease has spread from person to person on a consistent track. In order to stop a disease we cannot currently fully cure, the best way to at least slow down the progression of the disease is to know how to prevent new cases to begin with.

U.S AIDS Brief History

• First case reported in the U.S of AIDS: June 1981.
• Over 1.1 million infected in the U.S.
• Level of disease in nation: Epidemic (larger than expected incidence/prevalence of the disease)
• 648,459+ deaths

Incidence

• 50,000 new cases a year (stable rate in U.S)
• 44% Black, 31% White, 21% Latino

Prevalence

• 1.2 million infected with disease
• 1 in 7 are not aware of infection

Testing Sites

Possible sites/areas in which can provide screenings and overall resources (clean needles, condoms, testing, etc.). Most testing results' accuracy can range from 94%-99% accurate determining on which one is provided:

• Planned Parenthood
• Contacting primary care provider
• Local health departments
• Universities (events & clinics)

Protection

• Asking partner for testing information
• Condoms (Birth Control Pills do NOT prevent contraction of HIV/AID's and many other STI's)
• Drug users: Only inject sanitary and unused needles
• Avoiding exposure to seminal fluid & blood from infected individuals (viral load in blood usually lower than seminal fluid but not always the case)

Cost

• Programs that help pay cost: Medicaid, the Ryan White Program, the Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS Program, Medicare, etc.
• Estimated $12.1 billion annual cost
• Medicare spending on HIV/AIDS roughly $6.6 billion

References

 

How We're Spending. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2014, from http://www.aids.gov/federal-

       

        resources/funding-opportunities/how-were-spending/

 

Financial Impact of HIV/AIDS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2014, from http://carm.org/statistics-

      

        financial-hiv-aids

 

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2014, from

 

        http://kff.org/hivaids/fact-sheet/the-hivaids-epidemic-in-the-united-states/



The Fight Against Ebola Documentary

This is a documentary related to one of my previous post that I found while searching around the internet. Enjoy!

Macerudet - Water and Sanitation Project

Hello All!

Quick update. I've recently been accepted to volunteer for the Macerudet - Water & Sanitation Project. It is a program designed to increased the access of safe drinking water and improve the sanitation facilities in the Masulita province of Uganda. For the country of Uganda, there are only 72% of people that can access improved drinking water sources. Also, only 34% of people in Uganda use improved sanitation facilities ("Statistics," 2010). Unfortunately, isolated rural areas such as Masulita have even lower numbers. This lack of water and sanitation infrastructure has a major impact on the health of this population with higher risk of developing candidiasis and/or other waterborne illness. Personally, my role is to help research funding sources towards this project. If anyone is interested in helping with this search or would like more information you may contact me.

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others."
-Alber Schweitzer, M.D

References

Statistics. (2010, January 1). Retrieved October 24, 2014, from 

        http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda_statistics.html

Ebola Concerns

Many individuals in the U.S have become either skeptical or frightened of the recent Ebola epidemic. Here are some brief facts and information on the current situation of this disease:

Ebola Virus Scanning Electron Microscope Image
(Credit: Paul Bates, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine)

1. Ebola DOES exist.

• During past outbreaks of EVD such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Case fatality rates ranged from 25-90%("Who," 2014).
• 9,936 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola within 5 countries as of October 19, 2014.

2. Origin.

• The disease first appeared to researchers during 1976 when there were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The disease takes its name from a village near the Ebola River.

3. Transmission of Ebola.

• Direct contact with body fluids or blood (entry way: mucous membranes or broken skin).
• Indirect contact with environments that contain contaminated fluids. 

4. Threat to the U.S.

• According to infectious disease specialist and deputy physician-in-chief at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Kent Sepkowitz,"the health care infrastructure of the U.S is efficient enough to contain the Ebola outbreak to occasional cases."

5. U.N Response to the Disease.

• Designed 5 aims towards global response of EVD:

1. Stop the outbreak
2. Treat the infected
3. Ensure essential services
4. Preserve stability
5. Prevent further outbreaks

*If there are any questions or concerns about the increased incidence of Ebola I would suggest either contacting myself or clicking this link below to possibly answer some questions.*

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ebola-factsheet.pdf

References

Why Ebola Is Not A Threat To The U.S. (2014, October 4). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from       
          http://kunr.org/post/why-ebola-not-threat-us

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. (2014, October 21). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from 
          http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

United Nations, UN, ebola, crisis, response, 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from 
          http://www.un.org/ebolaresponse/#&panel1-1

Welcome everyone! My name is Drennon "Kris" Leverette and I have decided to start a blog on my passion. Healthcare! I hope you enjoy and send any comments and suggestions if you'd like. You can follow me or add me on LinkedIn.


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/drennon-leverette/97/457/565/