Health Briefs TV Reviews Zika Virus Prevention Steps

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is making news headlines around the world. People most affected by it are from South and Latin America. Brazil has been hit most hard. In the United States, a few cases have been reported. Health Briefs TV reviews steps Americans can take to prevent mosquito bites and possibly Zika infection.

The US Centers for Disease Control reports the Zika virus is transmitted through mosquito bites. Most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms are usually mild and can last a few days to a week. Left untreated, it can be more severe.

One of the easiest way to prevent mosquito bites is to be well-prepared when and where they bite most often. Below are some preventative steps people can take:

Empty all outdoor objects that hold standing water. Mosquitoes breed in them.

Wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants with shoes and socks when outdoors when mosquitoes are most prevalent. Buy a bug repellent which contains a good amount of DEET or picardin. For a list of the top brands which carry these ingredients, Consumer Reports, usually a members-only organization, released their list of the best bugrepellents. Some are more organic than others. Whichever one of these people choose, the Health Briefs TV show encourages readers to protect themselves from bites. Mosquito populations are most active at dawn and dusk for several hours.  Avoid swampy areas. Avoid traveling to countries where the virus is widespread.

Prevention is the key to not becoming infected with the Zika virus. 

(image:healthline.com)

Health Briefs TV Observes How Tainted Food Costs Lives

The World Health Organization states approximately 420,000 people die every year from food-borne diseases. Young children account for more than a quarter of those deaths, Health Briefs TV notes.

The agency also estimates that 600 million people become ill every year from consuming tainted food. Children under five are vulnerable to serious illness from contaminated food, resulting in 125,000 deaths per year. A review of the food-related illnesses found 31 types of bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals in food consumed in Africa and Asia.

Raw or undercooked meat, eggs, fresh produce and dairy products are the main culprits. Other diseases which can stem from tainted food are typhoid fever, hepatitis A, tapeworm and aflatoxin which is a mold that grows on grain stored incorrectly.

Health Briefs TV observes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that 48 million people get sick from tainted food each year. Roughly 128,000 need to be hospitalized and an estimated 3,000 die.

In the U.S., prevention is the key to not becoming ill from contaminated food. Wash all produce thoroughly. Cook meat until fully done. Wash all food preparation surfaces and hands after handling raw chicken and fish. Don’t intermingle meat and chicken on cutting boards. If the food smells bad, throw it out. Pay attention to use and sell by dates on all packages of fresh food.  

As the holiday season is now upon us, take extra care when preparing and storing food for celebrations and gatherings.  This is the season for joyous events. No one wants to spend it sick in bed or in the hospital.

store and cook food like this properly

Health Briefs TV Examines Reusable Medical Equipment Guidelines

Reusable medical devices called duodenoscopes are the culprits in the recent rash of hospital patients diagnosed with medical experts call the “Superbug”. Health Briefs TV examines what they are and reviews guidelines for their usage.

Duodenoscopes are the flexible tubes fitted with tiny lights and advanced cameras used to diagnose or treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Roughly 500,000 procedures a year in the United States alone take place using this piece of medical equipment.  The scopes are inserted down a patient’s throat so the physician can get perfect view.  When done, the scopes are put in a device which sterilizes them.  This is the health industry standard for ensuring reusable medical equipment is clean and sterile.

There have been several cases from hospitals in the country which reported that the standard way to sterilize equipment is not doing the job. Medical professionals have suggested, and some are using alternative methods of ensuring equipment is safe to reuse. These methods utilize ethylene-oxide sterilization and swabbing the equipment after each use to collect any pathogens left on them. They expensive ways to clean the equipment, but have reduced the number of patients infected with pathogens and bacteria from “almost clean” devices.

The Health Briefs TV show notes that patient health and safety should come before expense. When patients become very ill after reusable medical equipment is employed again, the cost of treating one patient can be quite hefty.  Prevention is always the best way to work and more so in a health care setting.

Health Briefs TV Reports on Safer Chicken to Eat

The U.S. Agriculture Department is proposing new regulations to make the chicken we love to eat safer. Health Briefs reports on what is being done to reduce the rates of salmonella and campylobacter in the breasts, legs and wings we consume.

One of the ways to better protect consumers from getting ill from bacteria found in chicken is to ensure that chicken farms practice better sanitary procedures and farm owners keep a more aware eye on the flocks. The federal agency’s proposal would require poultry owners to reduce the rates of salmonella from an estimated 24% now to less than 16 percent. It also suggests sampling should be taken over a longer period of time.

Health Briefs TV suggests consumers curb the possibility of bacterial illness by following safe handling of the meat. This can be done by wiping down the chicken parts before cooking, washing the cutting board or counter where chicken is prepared and thorough hand washing after handling raw chicken.  This may seem like much to do before cooking America’s favorite bird, but it beats how sick one can get if not done.

The USDA would also like to make public the list of companies which adhere to the standards and which do not, which might force more poultry ranches and farms to comply.  And that would be a good thing for Americans who like chicken.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV Wonders Why Women Can Handle the Flu Better than Men

Women, by nature, are stronger than men when it comes to handling illness better. They’re tougher and are the gender that takes care of their families. But this is just one reason why Health Briefs TV learns why women can handle the flu better than men.

The female body produces estrogen which in turn produces an enzyme which fights off infection.  Males do not produce this hormone which means their bodies are not equipped as well as women to fight off the flu virus. And then there are the other factors: women go to the doctor and get and take a prescription drug to kill the virus sooner. Their very make up is made to be the nurturer and therefore stronger than the males. Men tend to take to the bed longer and expect to be well taken care of when sick. Women spend less time in bed and do more when sick to keep the home running smoothly.  Men are not so good at accepting help, especially from medical professionals.

Health Briefs TV suggests men double up on vitamin C , drink plenty of fluids and get a decent amount of rest.  The flu season is expected to be bad this year even for those who get the flu shot. So ante up on the vitamins, sleep, hydrating liquids, eat healthy and get some moderate exercise. If flu symptoms crop up, go to the doctor and get a prescription to knock it out sooner.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV on How to Prevent Getting Colds and the Flu

Offices are not the best places to work during cold and flu season. Open work environments and even those with cubicles are the perfect places for cold and flu germs to spread. Health Briefs TV offers some suggestions about how to prevent getting colds and the flu this season.

Wash your hands. The lesson we learned in early childhood still holds true today: wash your hands after using the bathroom and before touching any part of the face. Use warm water, if available, and soap and vigorously rub hands together for 15 seconds. Use a paper towels to dry them.

Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Cubicle walls do not stop the germs flying through the air. Ask co-workers to do the same. Keep tissues on your desk also. 

Get a flu shot. It takes two weeks after the injection for immunity to build so now is the best time to visit the pharmacy.  The strain of the flu which is circulating now is particularly dangerous to seniors.

Reduce chronic stress, reduce the amount of sugar consumed, reduce salt intake and quit smoking. All of these will further boost the body’s immune system which fights of the viruses that attack it.

Health Briefs TV also recommends eating a diet that is rich in vitamins, minerals, whole grains, lean meat and fish. Get off the sofa at home and walk around the neighborhood. Clean outdoor air is good for us. Finally, lead a meaningful life. It doesn’t have to be grand. Find something that is important to you and embrace it. All of these also help build stronger bodies which can fight off colds and the flu every year.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV Dispels Common Myths about the Cold and Flu

The cold and flu season runs from October to February and generally peaks January. Roughly 20% of Americans can catch a virus which can cause severe health issues. Despite this, there are some common beliefs about the cold and flu which Health Briefs TV will try to dispel.

The flu shot does not make us sick with the flu. The vaccine is made with dead viral particles so it can’t infect us. The mist which kids use utilizes a crippled version of the virus which cannot make kids sick. It takes two weeks for our bodies for form antibodies to the vaccine to fully protect us.

Young and healthy people do not need the flu shot. While it is true that young, healthy people are less vulnerable than the very young and old, everyone should get the flu shot. At the very least, it prevents the receiver from passing the virus to others. And it prevents the transmission of the virus from infecting us.

Other myths that Health Briefs TV has heard about the flu which are not true:

The shot didn’t work if someone gets the flu. If this is the case, a variant strain of the flu that was not in the shot is at work. Antibiotics can cure the flu which is not true as antibiotics do not work on viruses. What other myths have our readers heard?

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV Reminds Readers of the More Common Viruses

Please cover your mouth much better than this.

There are several viruses which are more worrisome than the Ebola virus. Health Briefs TV reminds readers of what they are and how to prevent catching one.

The Flu – Droplets from an ill person’s sneeze or cough can travel up to six feet away.  Please remember to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing around others.

Enterovirus – This is the virus that is mostly affecting young children. It can be passed by touching an infected person or surface. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer. Don’t touch the face anywhere.

Norovirus – This virus spread when an infected person touches a surface, food or water and other people tough or eat the same surface or food. Again, wash hands thoroughly before touching food or any common surface.

HIV – HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids and shared needles. To prevent transmission, don’t shares needles and wear condoms or other items to block transmission during sex.

Hepatitis – The virus is transmitted through sharing dirty needles. Don’t share needles and be sure any medical worker is using a clean, sterilized one on you, if needed.

RSV – RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It mostly affects very young children and the elderly. It is spread through coughing and sneezing.  Health Briefs TV urges readers to teach young children to cover noses and mouths when coughing and sneezing, and reminds seniors to do the same.

These six viruses are more contagious and easily spread than the Ebola virus.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs