Childhood infectious diseases Flashcards
1
Q
What is the UN’s sustainable development goal relating to communicable diseases?
(United Nations, 2015).
A
To end the epidemic of AIDs, tuberculosis, malaria, and other communicable diseases by 2030.
Aims to achieve universal health coverage and provide safe and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.
2
Q
What are some different types of communicable diseases?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- respiratory infections e.g. pneumonia, influenza, bronchiolitis
- GI infections e.g. rotavirus, gastroentersis
- vector-borne infections e.g. malaria, dengue fever
- vaccine-preventable infections e.g. MMR, polio
3
Q
What is respiratriy syncytial virus (RSV)?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- commonly causes pneumonia
- causes infection of respiratory tract
- In 2019, 33m children >5 were infected
- those under 6 months and over 65 years are most at risk
4
Q
What is tuberculosis?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- serious bacterial infection affecting the lungs and other organs
- its incubation period is 3-9 months, meaning this is how long it can take to show symptoms from first exposure
- contagious until 4 weeks after start of treatment
5
Q
What is polio?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- highly infectious disease affecting the nervous system, mainly brain stem and spinal cord
- incubation perious usually 7-10 days but can range from 4-45
- virus is spread throgh faeces
- enters through the mouth/intestine, invading the nervous system
- can causes permamanet muscle paralysis in legs (5-10%) and death if breathing muscles become immobolised
- other symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in neck, pain in limbs
6
Q
What is measles?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- highly infectous viral disease
- air borne virus, spread through coughs and sneezes
- incubation period 10-14 days, early symptoms last 4-7 days
- symptoms include runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, small white spots inside cheeks, and most prominently a rash
- complications include blindness, severe diarrhoe, dehydration, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain
- vaccination has reduced measels death rates by more than 600,000 from 2020-2022
7
Q
What is epidemiology?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
the study of the determinants, occurrence, and distribution of health and disease in a defined population.
8
Q
What are things to consider in epidemiology?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- infectivity: associated with length of pre-symptomatic phase
- pathogenicity: process of how the infection leads to a disease
- virulence: how harmful a pathogen is
- immunogenicity: ability of a foreign antigen to provoke an immune response
9
Q
What are the 4 stages of pathogenicity?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- portal of entry
- local replication
- spread to target organs
- shedding to environment
10
Q
What are the 4 stages of virulence?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- viral replication
- impact on host mechanism
- tropism- spread and transmission through body
- production of products which are directly toxic
11
Q
List some modes of transmission.
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- respiratory secretions (airborne droplets, direct contact, fomites (objects carrying infection))
- faeces (food, fomites, water, flies)
- blood (vectors, transfusion, needle stick)
- lesion secretions (direct contact, sexual intercourse, fomites, flies)
- aerosols (droplet nuclei, droplet inhalation)
12
Q
What are some host factors influencing disease?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- age
- immunity
- genetics
- external factors
13
Q
Describe herd immunity.
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- occurs when a large portion of a population becomes immune to a disease, either through vaccination or prior infection.
- when enough people are immune, the spread of the disease is slowed down because there are fewer susceptible individuals for the virus to infect
- this protects those who are unable to get vaccinated or are at higher risk of severe illness
14
Q
What is the NHS vaccine schedule?
(NHS, 2024)
A
A list of all vaccines and time a person should receive them to ensure best protection against infectious diseases
15
Q
What is hepatitus B and C?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- blood borne virus
- can cause both acute and chronic infections
- actue symptoms could be fever, fatigue, nausea
- chronic are liver damage, cirrhosis, cancer, or failure, causing death
- hep B can be prevented with a vaccine but there is no effective vaccine for hep C however direct acting antiviral meds can treat hep C.
16
Q
What is Hematopoiesis?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- the production of blood cells
- haemocytoblasts differentiate into different types of blood cells depending on the body’s condition
- e.g. in response to poor blood clottihg, stress, or infection
- these haemocytoblasts dont circulate all the time, only increase in numbers when needed to treat the condition
17
Q
What is the lymphatic system?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- transport system for immune cells e.g. WBC
- removed interstitual fluid and waste producst
- absorbs fat
18
Q
What organs and tissues are in the lymphatic system?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- spleen: the largest lymphoid organ
- bone marrow
- thymus
- lymph nodes
- tonsils
- MALT (mucosa- associated lymphoid tissues)
19
Q
What is lymph nodes role?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- they detoxify and remove waste products
- also store lymphocytes (type B and T)
- found in the axilla, head, neck, and abdomen
20
Q
What are B-lymphocytes?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- produce antibodies which help the body recognise and neutralise foreign invaders
- also have a memory function allowing the body to remember previous antigens so the body can quickly and effective neutralise them
21
Q
What are T-lymphocytes
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- involved in directly attacking infected or abnormal cells in the body
- several types of T cells, including helper T cells, cytotoxic T cells, and regulatory T cells.
- Helper T cells coordinate the immune response by activating other immune cells e.g. B cells and cytotoxic T cells.
- Cytotoxic T cells (also known as killer T cells) are responsible for identifying and destroying cells that have been infected by viruses or that have become cancerous.
- Regulatory T cells help to regulate and control the immune response, preventing excessive inflammation and autoimmune reactions.
22
Q
What is non-specific (innate) immunity?
(Herrington, 2019)
A
the first line of defence
- mechanical and chemical barriers and reflexes e.g. skin and mucosis membrances, acid, tears, sneezing
second line of defence
- inflammation, fever, phagocytosis, natural killer cells, protective proteins
23
Q
Describe active and passive immunity.
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- active/adaptive immunity is aquired trough immunisation or previous exposure to a disease- responds to an antigen recognised by B-lymphocytes
- its a specific slower response
- passive immunity is transferred from another source e.g. mother or immunoglobulins
- shorter acting with no subseqeunct immunological memory
24
Q
Describe primary and secondary antibody-mediated immune response.
(Herrington, 2019)
A
- Primary- specific antigen is encountered and the antibody is detected in the blood, the disease maybe developing in the meantime
- Secondary- person encounters antigen again anf memory cells respond quickly, producing plasma cells to secrete specfic antibody
25
Describe specific immunity.
(Herrington, 2019)
- aquired in response to an antigen that triggers an antibody to be produced by the immune system
- may be cell mediated, humoral, active or passive
- creates an immunilogical memory
26
Describe cell-mediated immunity.
(Herrington, 2019)
- macrophages digest the antigen and display an antigenic fragment on their surface
- the antigen is presented to T-lymphocytes which are sensitised to it
27
Desrcibe anti-body mediated immunity.
(Herrington, 2019)
- B-lymphocytes produce antibodies (aka immunoglobulins)
- on the antibody surface there is an antigen receptor specific to an antigen, allowing it to remember, recognise, and bind to the antigen
- enhances the link between innate and adaptive immunity, triggering processes
- there are different classes of antibodies e.g. IgM, IgG
28
What is inflammation? (...itis)
(Herrington, 2019)
- complex, non-specifc response to tissue injury
- aims to minimise the effects of injury or infection, remove damaged tissue, generate new tissue, and facilitate healing
- part of inate immune system
- can be acute or chronic
- tested for by c-reactive protein (CRP) blood test, a protein released by the liver during acute phase of inflammation
29
Describe the inflammatory response.
(Herrington, 2019)
- redness and heat (due to increased blood flow, erythema)
- swelling (due to capillary permeability, oedema)
- increased blood flow moved WBC and plasma proteins to site of damage or infection
- causes pain, tenderness
30
Describe phagocytosis.
(Herrington, 2019)
- used to deal with localised damage and infection
- chemotaxis- WBC are attracted to the site
- neurophils move in and produce compounds that destroy bacteria
- monocytes move in and become macrophages
- neutrophils and macrophages kill pathogens and foreign cells
- macrohpages produce cytokines which attract immune system cells to the area and continue to activate the process of tissue repair
31
What are autoimmune disorders?
(Herrington, 2019)
- where the body is unable to differentiate between self and non-self
- autoantibodies are formed and the immune system fails to recognise itself
- sometimes a genetic element
e.g. MS, rheumotoid arthritis, T1 diabetes
32
Name some therapies to reduce the immune response (deliberately).
(Herrington, 2019)
- Non-sterodial anti-inflammatories (NSAID's)
- steriods
- cytotoxic therapy
- monoclonal antibody therapy
33
How can nurses improve vaccine promotion and implementation?
(Carracedo, 2020).
- patient reminders/ recall
- education- inform pateints about safety and importance of vaccines
- isolated community education
- isolated health education in health centered
- reduce vaccination costs
- improve acess to vaccination
- schedule home visits
34
How can nursing staff prevent vaccine adverse reactions and complications?
(Pawlowski, 2018).
- physical examination of patient before administration, excluding any contradiction
- complying with standards in national acts and regulations
- have adequate knowledge on the vaccine, contradictions, administration technique etc.
35
List some references for childhood infectious diseases.
- (United Nations, 2015)
- (Herrington, 2019)
- (Carracedo, 2020)
- (Pawlowski, 2018)
