NOTIFIABLE DISEASES REPORT

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

NUMBER OF CASES April 1990 Previous Disease 1990 Year to Date Year to Date Acquired immune 32 165 126 deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Alzheimer’s disease and 22 77 N/A related conditions Amebiasis 14 33 18 Campylobacter 23 81 57 Chlamydial infections 200 639 N/A Lapse of consciousness 188 735 512 (non-alcohol related) Giardiasis 63 173 136 Gonococcal infection 105 430 762 Hepatitis A 16 108 155 Hepatitis B 46 172 190 Lead poisoning 18 66 71 Measles (rubeola) 64 170 121 Meningitis 11 64 46 Non-specific urethritis 240 929 N/A Rubella (German measles) 12 22 5 Salmonellosis 16 68 64 Syphilis 29 152 246 Tuberculosis 16 88 93 TOTAL NOTIFIABLE DISEASES * 1,331 5,136 4,044

Year to Date % Disease Change, ‘89-’90 Acquired immune +31 deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Alzheimer’s disease and -- related conditions Amebiasis +83 Campylobacter +42 Chlamydial infections -- Lapse of consciousness +44 (non-alcohol related) Giardiasis +27 Gonococcal infection -44 Hepatitis A -30 Hepatitis B -9 Lead poisoning -7 Measles (rubeola) +40 Meningitis +39 Non-specific urethritis -- Rubella (German measles) +340 Salmonellosis +6 Syphilis -38 Tuberculosis -5 TOTAL NOTIFIABLE DISEASES * +27

N/A: Information not available

* Includes diseases not listed individually

REPORTED DISEASE TREND

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.

Alzheimer’s disease: A progressive form of middle-age dementia sometimes marked by memory disorders, impaired reasoning, personality changes and other symptoms.

Amebiasis: A form of dysentery caused by a protozoan parasite. Symptoms include ulcerated intestines and, sometimes, liver abscesses. It is spread by food or water contaminated by infected feces.

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: A predominantly sexually-transmitted viral disease 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.

Lead poisoning: Intoxication from absorption of lead or its salts into the body. Often occurs in young children who nibble on materials containing paint with a lead base. Common signs are abdominal pain, constipation, drowsiness, pallor, mental confusion and a blue line on gums.

Measles (rubeola): A highly infectious viral disease tending to appear in epidemics. Mainly affects children. Is somewhat more severe and more communicable than rubella (the “soft” or German measles; see below).

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

Non-specific urethritis: An infection often caused by chlamydia (see above), but reported without proof of its cause.

Rubella (German measles): Also a highly infectious viral disease, similar to rubeola (see above) though less severe and communicable. Primary concern here is of mothers contracting it during early months of pregnancy and the possible resulting birth defects.

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.

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.