Rank Your Top 5 Infecious Disease Concerns

[Cobra65]

If you had to rank infectious diseases and the seriousness of them, which ones would you be most concerned about? So far, I've heard TB, HIV Aids, Meningitis, H1N1, Hepatitis A, B, C & D. Thoughts?

[FireMedic049]

Don't forget about Cooties.

[Cobra65]

Just stay away from the girls and you should be fine. Ahem...

[nmfire]

The disease that nobody knows the patient has.

[Acklan]

If you had to rank infectious diseases and the seriousness of them, which ones would you be most concerned about? So far, I've heard TB, HIV Aids, Meningitis, H1N1, Hepatitis A, B, C & D. Thoughts?

E) All of the above.

[FireMedic049]

Just stay away from the girls and you should be fine. Ahem...

Too late.

[FireMedic049]

The disease that nobody knows the patient has or neglects to inform me of (Friendly amendment.).

I'd say that's my main concern.

[Lewiston2FF]

I got a vaccination against cooties at about 13. Thats when I started noticing the girls. Thank god for that vaccination!!

I would agree that all of the listed are infectious disease concerns. Menegitis and TB are more communicable as they are airborn, however, the hepatitis virus can live outside the body for some time so that too is a concern. Regardless all of them are a concern. I wouldnt be worrying about ebola or some hemmoragic fever nearly as much as the nasties listed.

[gunnyv]

What about MRSA? That was the "disease of the month" for our local hospitals after a bunch of the staff at one got it. Wash your hands

[Cobra65]

How widespread is MRSA or staph infections in medical facilities if no one talks about it? Do the lawsuits have everyone so scared that they can't admit to any issues even if there were any?

[charlie82]

Our bag on the back of the stretcher with the gloves and masks is called "Cooties Kit"

[Cobra65]

[QUOTE=Lewiston2FF;1192246]I got a vaccination against cooties at about 13. Thats when I started noticing the girls. Thank god for that vaccination!!

Oooo, I need one of those for my son. He's 13, a budding athlete, and is in the gym for four hours with over 100 girls every day five days a week. I'm gonna need a double vaccination, and quite possibly, a BB gun.

[Lewiston2FF]

[QUOTE=Cobra65;1192410]

I got a vaccination against cooties at about 13. Thats when I started noticing the girls. Thank god for that vaccination!!

Oooo, I need one of those for my son. He's 13, a budding athlete, and is in the gym for four hours with over 100 girls every day five days a week. I'm gonna need a double vaccination, and quite possibly, a BB gun.

Just make sure he doesn't get gonacokacokus!

[L-Webb]

How widespread is MRSA or staph infections in medical facilities if no one talks about it? Do the lawsuits have everyone so scared that they can't admit to any issues even if there were any?

It is everywhere, one of my children, myself and my wife have had it... and we are anal about deconing ourselfs after work. There is a new strain of MRSA in china that nothing will kill.

Is MRSA as much of danger as say HIV or any of the heps? No But it can kill you.
Check out the CDC website for more info.

[Cobra65]

It is everywhere, one of my children, myself and my wife have had it... and we are anal about deconing ourselfs after work.

How long did it take to get through all of that?

[L-Webb]

How long did it take to get through all of that?

For me about 2-3 weeks I got a boil in my left arm pit about the size of a baseball. When the dr lanced it, it sprayed across the room. My wife got it on here L knee. Over all this went on off and on for about 5 months.

[Cobra65]

Oy - I'm sorry

[KanFireman]

MRSA climbed to the top of my list after I read an article about how some of the strains are morphing into flesh-eating bacteria, combine that with the fact that last month I had a doctor inform me that MRSA can be transmitted by earwax. Now I constantly sterilize the earpieces on my stethoscope and use sanitizing wipes, we carry on the truck, on any pair I need to borrow before and after I use them. I can't remember want the wipes are called but they're advertised as able to kill just about everything; Viruses, bacteria, fungi it's supposed to kill them all.

[DeputyMarshal]

So far, I've heard TB, HIV Aids, Meningitis, H1N1, Hepatitis A, B, C & D. Thoughts?

TB: Treatable and reasonably easy to protect against with normal precautions plus respiratory protection.

HIV: Untreatable, difficult to catch through normal patient contact, and easy to protect against.

Meningitis: Seriousness depends on the form but generally preventable with normal precautions.

H1N1: Not an issue. The majority of seasonal flu for the last decade was some form of H1N1. If you're referring to 2009-H1N1-Swine Flu, there's a vaccination and normal precautions will prevent it anyway.

Hep A & B: Not an issue. Vaccinations are available; anyone in EMS should have them.

Hep C: Untreatable, easy to catch, but preventable with normal precautions.

Hep D: Rare in the US, not easy to catch, and preventable with normal precautions.

Of the infectious diseases listed, I'd be the most concerned about TB in areas where it's known to occur as it usually requires a slightly higher level of precaution that the rest. I'd worry about flu, simply because it's so universally found and easy to catch. Most of the rest are easily preventable with routine use of PPE, good work practices, and proper engineering controls.

[ChiefKN]

Gonasyphlherpeaids

Look out for that one.