Director, Emergency Services, Bikur Cholim Hospital
I would like to pass on to you some new information. The
British Medical Journal recently challenged the idea
that fat children make fat adults. The thought was always
that by the time you are eight, you will never lose the
weight because it is well-established.
It is now thought that it is all other factors. Eating
habits, depression over being termed chubby and food likes,
all cause children to become fat adults. But if they are
trained correctly then there is nothing to worry about. By
the way, eating preferences are established while the baby is
still inside. A recent experiment chose carrots: expectant
mothers where given large amounts of carrots with the result
that their children adored carrots.
How is disease passed on from one individual to another?
This requires an introduction. Disease is caused by mainly
four types of organisms. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and
protozoa. Viruses and bacteria are by far the most common
problems. Protozoa are small forms of life that are bigger
than viruses and bacteria. Some may be multi-celled. They are
usually spread by two ways. One is by zoonoses. This curious
word just means that they must live in another organism
before being passed on to humans. An example is the world's
most common disease — malaria — which is spread
by the Anopheles mosquito. The other way is the fecal-oral
route, meaning from excrement. How does this happen? Either
through contaminated water, or dirty hands or — for
example in the case of pinworm — the patient scratches
his anal region due to the irritation by the pinworm, and
eggs get trapped under fingernails before being swallowed
when the patient touches food. Hepatitis — a virus
— is spread through contaminated water, as is amoeba, a
protozoa.
Fungi are plant-like organisms that live on dead matter. They
thrive in dark, moist places, like tree stumps in the wild
and in humans between the toes or under fingernails. They
also like skin folds in fat people. Diaper rash — again
a wet, dark area — is often caused by fungi. The best
preventative measure is to keep these areas dry.
Another area that attracts fungi and moisture-loving bacteria
is the ear. It is dark in there and after swimming it holds
its water well. Of course if you have wax in your ears it
repels these organisms, but it still pays to keep this area
clean.
Surprisingly, two other dark wet places rarely get infections
by fungi: the mouth and the nose. These places are crowded
with protective bacteria and antibodies. Fungal infections
are usually a result of immunosuppression.
There are many different types of bacteria. Some need wet,
and die after secretions dry up. Some are plant-like and when
conditions are not right they will revert to being seeds that
can be reactivated when the time is right.
Viruses are minuscule and contain only a strand of DNA that
is protected by a protein coat. They invade a cell, inject
their DNA into the cell and make the cell produce thousands
of copies of the virus.
Viruses that live on secretions include the rhino virus, a
virus that stimulates a runny nose and, when a person
sneezes, millions are spread out in all directions. Be
careful to cover up when you sneeze or cough. While millions
are sent out, only five are necessary to infect. While we
used to think that hands spread most of these infections, we
now know that most are spread through ultra fine particles
that float in the air for a while after being exploded out of
one's nose or throat.
Let's answer some bothersome questions:
1) Can mosquitoes spread AIDS? Not thought to be a problem.
Not enough blood is transmitted deep enough. By the way, the
AIDS virus is extremely sensitive to bleach and dies
immediately.
2) Is swimming a bad idea? Polio used to thrive in swimming
pools but today's modern cleansing and filtering techniques
keep this to a minimum. People who are bleeding, or children
with dirty diapers should not go into pools. If a child does
excrete into a pool, the pool should be cleaned again.
3) Most organisms cannot live for a long time in public
bathrooms no matter how dirty the area is.
4) Sick children or domestic animals lehavdil should
have their excretions and vomit cleaned with the protection
of rubber gloves and the use of bleach afterwards.
Write me in care of the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Havrix is Glaxo's vaccine against Hepatitis A, a
debilitating disease that is rampant in Israel. The best
treatment is always protection, and this vaccine is proven
and it is safe.
