Ebola Procedures

The Center for Disease Control has a procedure for U.S. hospitals that take care of Ebola virus victims. First they give a list of possible symptoms such as high body temperature, severe headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. However these symptoms are only relevant when the patient has come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids from someone is known or suspected of having Ebola, or lives/has traveled to an area where the disease is prominent. The CDC recommends that the person testing the patient follow all safety precautions and wear the Proper Protective Equipment (PPE). They should also be sure to be cautious when transporting the patient or their bodily fluids throughout the hospital to avoid spills or any other incidents. If the results come back positive, the patient is to be isolated, no visitors, and all those interacting with the patient must have on the necessary PPE. The hospital also needs to enforce environmental infection control measures. The Ohio Department of Health is working with the CDC so that procedures can be the same all across the country. Since an Ohio native who lives in Dallas was recently suspected of having the virus and has recently been in Akron, the ODH is looking for anybody she has come in to contact with in order to verify she did not spread the virus, and if she did they can contain the people and stop it from spreading. The CDC sent an agency liaison to Ohio after her flight so they could communicate everything that was going on and to keep everybody on the same page. Having everyone on the same page is vital, especially with a situation like this where thousands of people’s lives are at stake. The procedures don’t differ since the ODH just follows the CDC’s, so the CDC’s procedure is the best by default.

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/interim-guidance-specimen-collection-submission-patients-suspected-infection-ebola.html

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/patient-management-us-hospitals.html
http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/10/ohio_health_department_trackin.html 

NEPA

During the rise of industrial buildings and big manufacturing plants there was a drastic increase in pollution. Air, water, and trash pollution littered America. People were getting sick easier, the streets were filled with trash, and also lakes were setting on fire from so many different chemicals being dumped into the water. Change was needed, so the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was passed on January 1, 1970. This was one of the first laws that established national awareness and standards for big waste companies in America. The basis of NEPA was to make sure the government gave proper consideration and helped the sustainability of the environment and also to take legal action against companies that did not respect the rules and comply. The Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) is the group that governs what standards and laws are put into place for the companies to follow. The council is made up of scientists and former CEO’s. Some constructions and buildings with high restrictions are military bases, highways, airports, parkland purchases, and government buildings. Companies are required to give annual reports and also have to pass several inspections. Federal agencies have to turn in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which lets the government know about any possible damage done to the environment through air, water, or any other types of waste. Companies that break these rules are forced to pay hefty fines and may even be shut down depending how harsh the damage was. New chemicals are not allowed to be placed into the environment without first being tested and considered harmless to the environment by the government. The goal of the NEPA is ensure the safety of the earth: air, water, and plants and also guarantee sustainability. NEPA also aims to keep the inhabitants healthy and free from unnecessary toxins caused from excess pollution.

http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-national-environmental-policy-act

http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/projdev/

Fluoride and Water

Putting fluoride in water first started in the 1940’s. The fluoride came from big industrial companies byproducts from manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers. The amount in public water is about 1 part per million, but it is much higher in ground water. Fluoride is said to be an enamel builder, by making it more resistant to acids from bacteria, but many people believe it does more harm than help. The Food and Drug Administration considers fluoride a drug when it is used to prevent disease, but the fluoride does not improve the water’s safety or quality. Since fluoride is considered it’s safe to say that the “dosage” of it cannot be controlled since everyone literally drinks different amounts of water each day. According to public health administrators and some dentists, the fluoride helps those with lower income since they can’t always afford a visit to the dentist nor have dental insurance. Some studies have shown that fluoride accumulates in the body and calcifies on the bones and pineal gland. The kidneys can only excrete about 60% of the fluoride intake each day. Excess fluoride intake can cause white streaks or even brown stains on the enamel. People don’t want fluoride in the water since it does not provide any nutritional benefits to the human body. It is seen as unnecessary since studies have shown no increase in tooth decay after someone stops drinking water with fluoride in it. These studies were done in Germany, Canada, and also Cuba. Other studies in Australia and New Zealand show that tooth decay was on a decline before fluoride was even being added to the water. In 2006 the National Research Council (NRC) said that fluoride has been known to impact with different functions of the brain and also disturb learning and behavior. However these studies were conducted on animals using high volumes of fluoride.

http://www.livescience.com/37123-fluoridation.html
 http://fluoridealert.org/articles/50-reasons/

John Snow

John White, who is known as the “Father of Epidemiology”, was born in 1813 on March 15. His father was a coal miner and his mom stayed at home. In his early school days his parents realized he was bright and decided to send him to a private school. When he was 14 he started working with a surgeon by the name of Dr. William Hardcastle as an apprentice. He graduated from the University of London in 1844 at the age of 31. While Snow was in his fourth year as an apprentice, an epidemic had struck London. The disease, cholera, was rapidly spreading and killing hundreds of thousands wherever it went. The symptoms of cholera are diarrhea, leg cramps, and vomiting. It originated in Asia, but around 1821 started spreading to European countries. Snow’s mentor had a lot of sick patients and got overwhelmed, so he sent Snow out to help take care of people who couldn’t make it to him. Although he had been training for a few years already, there wasn’t much he could do to counter the symptoms because none of the medicines worked. He worked with patients for 11 years and the frequency of the disease went away. He then focused on getting his Master’s degree in London. John Snow’s big break was when he discovered a controlled way to distribute anesthetics to patients. He tested small doses on animals and also on humans. Before Snow, doctors would use rags soaked in chloroform which wasn’t the most effective way to subdue patients’. Snow then began to study the nature of cholera and find an explanation on why and how it spread so quickly. He believed it was from the germs, but most scientists at the time believed it came from sewers and garbage pits. He believed the water was contaminated and he had to figure out a way to prove it. During the next cholera outbreak, he found out who was the person to be reported to have it, then discovered the second person that had it stayed in the same hotel room as the first and this helped give him the support for his claims. As he talked to more patients, he discovered that most of the symptoms started out as digestive issues which means the disease came from food or water ingested by those people. This was even more support for his claim and took away credit from the others since they believed the disease was airborne. If it was airborne, the first symptoms would have been in the lungs or in the breathing orifices. He spread his findings by holding lectures. He worked on this theory for the rest of his life and eventually had enough proof to convince the other scientists that this was how the epidemic started.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/snow_john.shtml

http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/fatherofepidemiology.html

http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/pancholera1.html

ROI (Return on Investment)

My future self would recommend that I work harder in school. Also, spend less time on my phone and interacting with more people from different walks of life. My future self would recommend that I continue to be a good friend and to stay close with my family. Some advice the future me would give me is to start being more active in different organizations and taking on more leadership roles. Leadership skills are important in my major and this is the time to develop those skills. Also, save more of money. Do not get a girlfriend until after college because it is not worth it right now. Have fun while I’m in school, but also be smart about it. My present self would encourage my past self that I need to learn some good study techniques. High school was very easy for and I never really felt the need to study and those habits haven’t translated very well to college. Although I’ve made past 3 years, it could have went a lot smoother if I studied better. The advice that future me would give present me is pretty similar to the advice present me would give future me. Compared to a lot of people I know, I have invested a lot into my future, but compared to my classmates and parents I need to do more. I need to spend more time on my studies and also on things pertaining to my field of interest. I’m willing to invest a lot more into my future, but sometimes I’m not motivated to do more and that doesn’t help me in the long run. The way I see my future, I will live a fun, joyful life. Although I am having a great time in college, I plan on making a lot of money and traveling the world with my friends and my special lady whenever I find her. I also plan on having a great family and providing them with the best opportunity for a good future.