What is infectious diseases?

4 May 2021

They are a set of conditions caused by various biological agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, which can be organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

These diseases are transmitted through contact between people, by eating contaminated food or water, by exposure to pathogenic organisms in the environment, or by the action of animals and insects that carry the biological agent causing the infection.

The symptoms depend on the origin of the infection and can be mild, severe, or life-threatening, depending on the case.

The best way to prevent infectious diseases is through permanent hygiene habits:

Wash your hands constantly.
Monitor the safe preparation of food.
Drink purified water.
Have safe sex.
Get vaccinated.
Refrain from contact with infected or wild animals.

The types of infection caused by these pathogens are:

Bacterial: caused by germs that produce toxins that trigger infectious conditions of various magnitudes, such as tuberculosis, syphilis, and bacterial pneumonia, among other diseases.
Viral: viruses are microscopic organisms that cause a series of illnesses such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, or COVID-19.
Fungal: there are different types of fungi that cause mild skin conditions such as athlete’s foot or others capable of seriously affecting the nervous and respiratory systems.
Parasitic: they are very common and their main characteristic is that they survive inside human and animal organisms, or on their skin, causing conditions such as malaria or scabies.

Signs and symptoms Infectious diseases

There are specific symptoms for each infectious disease, but in general, the following symptoms appear in all cases:

Tiredness.
Weakness.
Sore muscles.
Coughing fits.
High fever.
Diarrhea.
Headache.

Diagnosis and treatment Infectious diseases

Once your doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, they will perform a physical examination and request laboratory tests such as blood, urine, stool, and pharyngeal exudate tests; as well as imaging studies such as x-rays, computed tomography, and MRI.

By identifying the pathogen causing your condition, your doctor will establish the appropriate treatment plan, using drugs such as:

Antibiotics.
Antivirals.
Antifungals.
Antiparasitic.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments Infectious diseases

Internal medicine
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

medlineplus.gov
mayoclinic.org
msdmanuals.com
hopkinsmedicine.org
topdoctors.es
medigraphic.com
Galindo SBM, Molina ÁN. La sostenibilidad de la vacunación y los movimientos antivacunas en tiempos del nuevo coronavirus. Revista Cubana de Salud Pública. 2020;46(Suppl: 1):1-5.
Rodríguez-Orozco AR, Quintero-Silva RY, Romero-Escobar RS, et al. Experiencias clínicas con Lactobacillus (2016-2019). Med Int Mex. 2021;37(5):738-758.
Zarnowski VD, Salazar SA, Zarnowski GA. Infección del tracto urinario adquirida en la comunidad. Revista Médica Sinergia. 2021;6(09):.
Candel HJA, Páez CY, Romero GLI, et al. Biomarcadores como predictores de mortalidad en pacientes graves con infecciones. Revista Cubana de Anestesiología y Reanimación. 2020;19(3):1-10.

How can we help you?

The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.

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Comparison of COVID-19 vaccines

Pfizer-
BioNTech

Pfizer-BioNTech

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 95% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

No Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 16 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, malaise, and swollen lymph nodes.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 14 days of having the complete scheme (after the administration of the 2nd dose), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

Moderna

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 94.5% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 28 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 18 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes in the arm in which you received the injection.

Janssen/
Johnson
& Johnson

Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 72.0% in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.
85% in the prevention of severe COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives./strong>

How many doses are needed?
Only one dose in needed.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 28 days of having the complete scheme (the last dose applied), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from 85% serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

AstraZeneca
and
Oxford
University

AstraZeneca and Oxford University

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 82% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 56 days apart (or up to 84 days apart, if necessary).

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and fever, which were mild to moderate in intensity and disappeared within 48 hours of vaccination.

Sputnik V

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 92% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

What is infectious diseases?

Signs and symptoms Infectious diseases

Diagnosis and treatment Infectious diseases

Related centers and departments Infectious diseases

Fuentes:

Index

Specialist in Infectious diseases