Upper respiratory infections:
The upper respiratory system is the
part above the trachea, Common respiratory infections (U.R.I) include, the
common cold, influenza, or FLU,
pharyngitis and tonsillitis. They tend to spread rapidly within 1 to 6 days of
incubation period.
Viruses cause common cold and FLU.
Getting cold or wet do not cause these sickness but they may be made worse by
getting wet.
Signs and symptoms:
1.
Dry, sore throat
2.
Sneezing
3.
Running or blocked nose.
4.
Headache, fever and cough.
5.
Pains in the joints (in the flu)
The
symptoms may last for few days. In babies and young children if not treated
properly they may lead to complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis etc.
Treatment and nursing care:
1.
Bed rest and warmth.
2.
Plenty of liquids to drink. Orange
juice or lemonade are helpful.
3.
Aspirin tablets may be given.
Antibiotics do not help in virus infections.
4.
Steam inhalation helps to clear a
blocked nose. Decongestant nasal drops may be prescribed.
5.
The nose should be cleaned
frequently. Warn people not to sniff or blow the nose vigorously.
Tonsillitis:
This may be a symptom of cold or
flu, or it may be a bacterial infection of the tonsils.
Signs and symptoms:
red swollen tonsils
draining pus from the tonsils .
Fever,
Pain in the throat
Difficulty in swallowing.
Cough with some sputum and vomiting.
Enlarged lymph glands under the jaw
Treatment and nursing care:
Aspirin tablets may be prescribed to relieve the pain.
Tablets penicillin or penicillin injections if there is
bacterial infection.
Warm saline gargles (one teaspoon salt added to a tumbler of
warm water)
If there is no improvement in 3 days, or if a gray membrane
is seen on the tonsils (sign of diphtheria), the patient must be referred to a
doctor.
Pneumonia:
This
is an acute infection of the lungs caused by bacteria or viruses. When the
infection affects both the bronchi and lungs, it is known as bronchopneumonia.
Pneumonia is often a complication of measles, whooping cough, asthma or upper
respiratory tract infection (U.R.I) and is especially dangerous in children.
Signs and symptoms:
Rapid, shallow breathing, sometimes
with wheezing.
Nasal flaring
Cough with sputum, which might be
blood stained or with yellowish mucus.
Fever.
There may be cyanosis.
Treatment and nursing care:
Tablet Penicillin or injection Ampicillin for 5 days.
Plenty of liquids including water.
Aspirin will help to reduce fever.
Support the head and shoulders with pillows, and turn
position every hour.
Steam inhalations may be given to relieve cough and loosen
bronchial secretions.
Preventive and control measures:
Never neglect a common cold.
Avoid over crowding
Sleep in a well ventilated room
Educate mothers to burp babies after giving feeds
When a child has measles, whooping cough etc, try to prevent
pneumonia by proper treatment and care.
If pneumonia develops start treatment as quickly a possible.
The sputum of the patients should be carefully discarded
after proper disinfection.
Mumps
This
is a virus infection of the parotid glands (parotitis). The source of infection
is the saliva and it is spread by droplet infection or fomite.
Signs and symptoms:
Symptoms usually begin 2 or 3 weeks after contact with an
infected person
Mild fever
Pain on opening the mouth or eating.
Difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia)
A soft swelling appears below the ears at the angle of the
jaw. It may affect unilaterally or bilaterally.
The swelling usually resolves in about 10 days with out any
treatment.
Treatment and nursing care:
1.Bed rest
2.Tablet Aspirin can be given for pain and fever. 3.Give
plenty of water etc to drink
4.Soft food for easy digestion
5.Ice packs or cold wet clothes may be applied to help
reduce pain and swelling.
6.If signs of meningitis appear (high fever, confusion,
irritation convulsion) get medical help immediately.
Prevention and control:
Isolate
the infected person from others
Complications:
1.Sterility
2.Meningitis
Tuberculosis (TB):
This is a chronic infectious disease
caused by the tubercle bacillus. When the infected person coughs, droplets of
his sputum go into the air and are breathed in by healthy persons. If a person
has immunity against the disease, he may get only a primary lesion in the lung,
which may heal without treatment.
In
others, especially children and those who are weak and poorly nourished and
people with low immunity, the disease affects and manifest the signs and
symptoms of tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis usually affect the lungs (pulmonary
tuberculosis). Sometimes it may attack other parts of the body such as the
lymph glands in the neck, intestines, uterus, bones brain etc.
Signs and symptoms of pulmonary
tuberculosis:
Loss of weight.
Cough with sputum
Mild fever in the evening, and
sweating at night.
Fatigue
chest pain
dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing)
haemoptysis (spitting of blood in
sputum
Diagnosis
Sputum smear for acidfast bacilli
(AFB)
X ray chest.
Treatment and nursing care:
The drugs used in the treatment of Tuberculosis are:
Injection Streptomycin
Tablet Isoniazid (1. N. H)
Tablet Rifamycin
Tablet Thiacetazone.
T.B germs do not die easily. They will be killed only with
continued specific treatment for a prescribed time. Besides the anti
tuberculosis treatment (ATT) as above, it is also important to:
Advice to eat a balanced diet rich in proteins and vitamins
as well as energy foods.
Advice to have enough rest and sleep. It is best to avoid
heavy work and doing things that cause fatigue.
Preventive and Control measures:
Early diagnosis and immediate treatment to prevent the
spread of infection.
Screen the whole family for identifying infection.
Vaccinate the children with B.C.G.
The infected person should be isolated from others
The infected person should cover his mouth when coughing and
use a covered cup to receive the sputum.
He should burn the sputum or dispose it in a safe way.
Educate the community as to how the infection can be
prevented
Inform that the facilities are available for diagnosis and
treatment at free of cost in government hospitals.
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