INFECTIOUS DISEASE REPORT

Each week the Orange County Public Health Department reports to the state the incidence of various infectious diseases in the county. The following table details a selection of these afflictions and a total for all notifable diseases for July, the most recent month for which information is available:

NUMBER OF CASES

July Current Previous Disease 1989 Year to Date Year to Date Acquired immune 27 212 158 deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Campylobacter 26 128 180 Chlamydial infections 104 112 N/A Lapse of consciousness 143 956 999 (non-alcohol related) Giardiasis 37 272 224 Gonococcal infection 177 1,195 1,642 Hepatitis A 35 302 225 Hepatitis B 41 341 219 Lead Poisoning 25 122 369 Measles (rubeola) 24 294 60 Meningitis 31 115 104 Pelvic inflammatory disease 15 17 N/A Salmonellosis 19 119 200 Shigellosis 13 158 123 Syphilis 49 372 791 Tuberculosis 19 156 111 ALL NOTIFIABLE DISEASES 1,337 9,522 10,788

NUMBER OF CASES

Year to Date % Disease Change, ‘88-’89 Acquired immune +34 deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Campylobacter -29 Chlamydial infections -- Lapse of consciousness -4 (non-alcohol related) Giardiasis +21 Gonococcal infection -27 Hepatitis A +34 Hepatitis B +56 Lead Poisoning -67 Measles (rubeola) +390 Meningitis +11 Pelvic inflammatory disease -- Salmonellosis -41 Shigellosis +28 Syphilis -53 Tuberculosis +41 ALL NOTIFIABLE DISEASES -12

N/A: Information not available

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome: Fatal disease that attacks the body’s immune system. Is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. Transmitted by sexual contact, exposure to contaminated blood and from an infected mother to her newborn.

Campylobacter: Characterized by sudden, acute diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. Associated with foods poorly refrigerated or improperly cooked, unpasteurized milk and unchlorinated water.

Chlamydial infections: Predominantly sexually transmitted viral diseases that can be identified either by culture or other lab test.

Giardiasis: A protozoan infection principally of the upper small intestine. May be associated with a variety of intestinal symptoms such as chronic diarrhea, abdominal cramps and bloating, fatigue and weight loss. Contracted by ingesting contaminated food or water.

Gonococcal infections: Sexually transmitted bacterial diseases that differ in males and females in terms of course, severity and recognition.

Hepatitis A: An acute viral illness affecting the liver. Occurs mostly in children and young adults. Usually transmitted by oral ingestion of infected material or by poor sanitation.

Hepatitis B: An acute illness of the liver transmitted by exposure to contaminated needles, by administration of blood or blood products and/or oral ingestion of contaminated material.

Measles: a highly-infectious viral disease tending to appear in epidemics. Mainly affects children.

Meningitis: Inflammation of the three membranes enveloping the brain and spinal chord.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): An often painful condition in women resulting from infection of the reproductive tract and caused by variety of organisms.

Salmonellosis: A bacterial disease characterized by the sudden onset of a headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dehydration and fever. Contracted by eating contaminated food.

Shigellosis: Acute diarrhea acquired by person-to-person contact, through eating contaminated food or by handling contaminated objects.

Syphilis: A chronic venereal disease caused by a spirochete and transmitted by sexual intercourse. The first symptom, a chancre, appears after an incubation period of 12 to 30 days and is followed by a slight fever.

Tuberculosis: A mycobacterial disease that usually affects the lungs. General symptoms include sweats, hectic fever and severe weight loss.

INCIDENCE OF NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES

July 1989: 1,337

Sources: Orange County Public Health Department, “Reported Cases of Specified Notifiable Diseases,” for November, 1988.

“Control of Communicable Diseases In Man,” an official report of the American Public Health Assn., Abram S. Benenson, editor, 1985, 4th edition.

“Better Homes and Gardens Family Medical Guide,” Donald G. Cooley, editor, 1973, 2nd edition.

“The Bantam Medical Dictionary,” prepared by Laurence Urdang Associates Ltd., 1982.

“Stedman’s Medical Dictionary,” Williams and Wilkins Co., 1973, 22nd edition.