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/