Tag: Ebola

Public Health vs. Individual Privacy

the need to protect the public’s health and the rights of the individual may not always coincide.These arguments could apply to situations other than Ebola infection. They include other infectious diseases as well as tobacco use, alcohol and drug use and abuse, motor vehicle safety, mental health , vaccine avoidance, gun ownership, and sexually transmitted diseases.

updated May 8, 2026

To call the late Dr. Charles Krauthammer an opinion writer is a vast understatement. a Pulitzer Prize winner, he wrote a popular column for the Washington Post . He died from intestinal cancer in 2018.

With wit and wisdom, he addressed a wide variety of headlining topics, as well as those more mundane, including politics, economics, education, relationships and  lifestyle. His previous background as a practicing psychiatrist qualified him to comment on medical issues with insight and experience.

Ebola (and COVID-19) vs. Civil Liberties

In this 2014 article about the Ebola virus epidemic and civil liberties,  he addressed the conflict created by the introduction of the Ebola virus into the United States. He argues that the need to protect the public’s health and the rights of the individual may not always coincide.

These arguments could apply to situations other than Ebola infection. They include other infectious diseases as well as tobacco use, alcohol and drug use and abuse, motor vehicle safety, mental health, vaccine avoidance, gun ownership, and sexually transmitted diseases.

THINGS THAT MATTER : Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics

As a physician, I find it fascinating and amazing that Dr. Krauthammer completed medical school and residency after and despite sustaining a spinal cord injury which caused quadriplegia (paralysis from the neck down, preventing use of his arms and legs).

He discusses this, and pays tribute to a medical school professor who helped make it possible in his book

Things That Matter by Charles Krauthammer

a both a memoir and a collection of his essays. His success causes one to question how exactly should we define “disability”?

You will find  Dr. Krauthammer on The Washington Post . You may not always agree with him, but I think you will appreciate his creative use of words to express his well-thought-out opinions.

 

 

 

Exploring the HEART of Health

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Dr. Aletha

Overview of Viral Diseases

Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, while antiviral medications are limited. Vaccines exist for several viruses and bacteria, including influenza, MMR, and Hepatitis strains. However, diseases like malaria and HPV require additional attention. Many infections lack preventive vaccines, emphasizing the importance of consulting physicians for advice on vaccinations and disease prevention.

Virus vs Bacteria

One major difference between bacterial and viral infections is the treatment. We have many more effective antibiotics (drugs which fight bacteria) than we do antiviral drugs.

And antibiotics do not affect viruses. Despite that fact, patients often expect and even demand their physicians prescribe antibiotics for viral infections such as influenza, colds and bronchitis- and unfortunately too often we physicians do it anyway.

6 smart facts about antibiotic use

Influenza- the vaccine is given annually and targeted to the strains of virus predicted to be active in any given year.

 

Measles (rubeola), Mumps, Rubella (German measles) -I am grouping these together since their vaccines are usually given together as the MMR. Recent outbreaks of measles have been attributed to the decline in vaccination rates. 

Polio, a disease parents feared when I was a child, due to to risk of permanent paralysis, now essentially eradicated in the United States

Rotavirus,  in infants and small children, a common cause of gastroenteritis- vomiting and diarrhea, with or without fever and abdominal pain

HPV, the human papilloma virus, causes warts of all kinds, but the vaccine is targeted to the strains that cause genital warts and cervical cancer

The cousin viruses, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis is an infection of the liver, which can range from a mild disease to life threatening. Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids.

Another set of cousins, Varicella Zoster (VZ) virus causes two different infections and thus has two vaccines. The original infection is  varicella or chickenpox, formerly a common childhood illness but not seen often now due to the vaccine. When it reactivates, usually years later in adulthood, it is known as  zoster or shingles.

There are also several vaccines usually reserved for travel to specific areas of the world, occupational exposure, military service or other special circumstances. These include vaccines for anthrax, typhoid, cholera, (bacteria) and yellow fever, smallpox,and rabies (viruses). 

Diseases for which there is no vaccine

One of the most serious is malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted by infected mosquitos. Malaria is rarely a risk in northern or extreme southern areas of the world, but for the tropics, especially sub-Saharan Africa it is a major health problem. (A vaccine is being tested.)

Otherwise we all are at risk of other serious infections that we cannot yet prevent with immunization. These include

HIV-human immunodeficiency virus ,and most other sexually transmitted diseases including HSV- herpes simplex virus, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia.

HCV- Hepatitis C

Most respiratory viruses, including rhinovirus, cause of the common cold; RSV-respiratory syncytial virus and infectious mononucleosis

The Ebola virus

Borrelia, not really a bacteria, it’s a spirochete, which causes Lyme (not lime) disease

And the bacteria Staphylococcus, which causes “staph” (not staff) infections of the skin and Streptococcus, which causes “strep throat”.

If you have any questions or concerns about which vaccines you might need to protect yourself against infections, please consult your own personal physician.

Detailed information about vaccines and infectious disease  is available from the National Foundation for Infectious Disease

Exploring the HEART of health

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha