The Plague Unplugged...

I have been reading in medical news about a "new" virus that has mutated from the adenovirus known as AD14...and then, I happened over to MDMHVONPA'S and read yet another blog article about this particular virus that he has posted complete with a WARNING to those of us with compromised immune systems...thanks, Mark...I think?!?

So, at the risk of humor at HIS expense, I give you the photo...AND, a little bit more medical information about this particular mutant virus direct from the Center For Disease Control, aka, CDC. This government agency is responsible for reporting, tracking, and making recommendations regarding communicable diseases (just in case for some strange reason you did not know this)...yes, they DO know if you have been treated for Syphilis, Gonorrhea (clap), or any of the other highly contagious sexually transmitted diseases...and yes, Big Brother IS in your bedroom (or motel room, or back seat of your car, or...well, "wherever"). Please be sure and wear something sexy for him. LOL

But, aside from tracking who's passed what venereal disease on to whom, they also track MORBIDITY of diseases...and if people start to "kick" in higher than average proportions from something, they like to issue "alerts" about this. It's supposed to aid in disease prevention because, as is typical for most Americans, we don't really care about something until we know if could kill us. They also track TRENDS of diseases as well...and I imagine it has been the "trend" of the AD14 mutant virus that has caught their attention. Well, that and the virus made several hundred MILITARY PERSONNEL sick at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas this past February...about 423 personnel were tested, 268 had a form of adenovirus, and 106 tested positive for AD14. And that, my friends, is a LOT of military personnel without guns in their hands in Iraq!

And this is not the first time an adenovirus has caused problems among military personnel. A vaccine was created (pill form...you never heard of it because it wasn't OFFERED to the common folk) back when AD4 and AD7 spread like wildfire among military recruits (most likely because of their confined spaces and proximity to one another)...this vaccine really eliminated the spread of these two adenoviruses, but the same vaccine will NOT protect against AD14. And particularly not a MUTANT of AD14.

People in nursing homes/the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, small children, etc., ROUTINELY contract adenoviruses...the CDC isn't really that interested in us common immuno-compromised folks (unless we're carrying something that might SPREAD to healthy people). But when seemingly HEALTHY, VIRILE, YOUNG MALES in the MILITARY come down with crap that sends them to the hospital (or even kills them, as one of the military personnel DID die from complications of the virus), our government takes notice.

As most of you know who stumble into this blog regularly, I am on Novantrone as a treatment for my Multiple Sclerosis. Novantrone is an immuno-suppressant...it infiltrates the DNA of my White Blood Cells, knocking them out of my system (until new ones are formed several weeks post infusion), in hopes of decreasing or even eliminating the chance of T-cells (a type of White Blood Cell) from crossing over from my blood into my cerebrospinal fluid and inflaming my brain (what's left of it, anyway LOL). At least that's the CURRENT school of thought, simplified and in a "nut shell". But White Blood Cells (WBC's...because I'm too lazy to type out those three words over and over!) are also the immune system's first line of defense against OTHER invaders/organisms that cause infection...like...AD14. And actually, to be quite technical (I DID attend nursing school, after all), WBC's DON'T work directly on virus cells, but they DO work directly on what are called "secondary infections" that often result from viral infections...like pneumonia, etc. It is these SECONDARY INFECTIONS caused by the AD14 virus that are killing folks...not the virus itself. People are dying from pneumonia and complications of respiratory infections...technically speaking. The AD14 just weakens the body with fever, cough, etc., which allows OTHER infectious bacteria to set up shop. TMI?!?

I have been on Novantrone now for almost 10 months. But for the grace of God go I, I have NOT contracted a serious bacterial or viral infection. SHINGLES DON'T COUNT! Herpes Zoster virus was ALREADY laying dormant in my body and waiting for my immune system to fall off...I didn't get this from someone else. I know, it's splitting hairs, but it's important in the big picture of things. In other words, WHATEVER I have been doing to protect myself from the general public sea of disease HAS been effective. If anyone "should" get sick (be more susceptible), it "should" be people who's immune systems are compromised. And, because of the nature of my job, i.e., entering the largest petri dishes known to mankind such as emergency rooms and hospitals, I AM exposed to the general public sea of disease daily.

So, what am I doing to ward off these bugs? Well, I'm glad you asked. LOL Here's my remedy and these things are all stuff your MOTHER told you when you were little:

1. Keep your hands out of your mouth

2. Wash your hands frequently

3. Stay out of "range" of sick people, especially cough-ers

4. Don't eat food off the floor (or from potentially contaminated surfaces)

5. Rest

6. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water

And here are some nursing tips my mother never told me (but I'm sure she WOULD have if she had thought of them):

7. Although use of an antibacterial hand wash is controversial (it is theorized THIS may be why we are seeing so many super bugs), I use PURELL religiously. I carry small bottles on my person and in my bag. I use it frequently throughout the day, as if I have an Obsessive Compulsive hand washing disorder.

8. I don't touch surfaces like public bathroom doors (most doors, actually), hospital beds, jail cell doors, etc. I either use a paper towel (after washing my hands in public bathrooms, just hang onto the towel and push the door open with it as well as turning off the faucet with the towel, too) as a barrier between myself and unseen germs or I use my sleeve, foot (to push open doors), etc.

9. I wipe down shared equipment with an antibacterial, such as phones at work, to avoid BREATHING other people's germs.

10. I tend to stay away from large, public gatherings if possible when I know my WBC count is at its lowest (10-14 days post infusion).

11. I take 1000mg of Vitamin C daily (I have NO scientific proof Vit-C wards off anything...but like religion and believing in something greater than myself, it CAN'T hurt!)

12. And finally, if you are sick/coughing/puking/thinking you are sick/with runny nose, you will likely hear me say out loud, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" And I really mean this. :)

So HOW is the AD14 virus spread? Well, no differently than any OTHER communicable disease. This is direct from the CDC and Dr. Gregory Gray of the CDC: "There are 51 different adenovirus strains. In the 1960s, Gray says, adenovirus was considered a "rather innocuous childhood problem." That opinion changed when adenoviruses turned out to be responsible for huge outbreaks that caused severe disease and deaths among military recruits...It is a very interesting virus.
Adenovirus can spread from person to person via aerosolized droplets in sneezes and coughs. But it's also present in feces, and fecal-oral spread is common among young children. The virus can survive for weeks on contaminated surfaces. In the summer, there may be swimming-pool-related outbreaks.
The adenovirus incubation period is two to nine days. Different adenovirus strains behave differently, but outbreaks can be explosive.

And what are the SYMPTOMS of an adenovirus or AD14 you ask? Typical cold/flu symptoms...most healthy people would not KNOW they had contracted an adenovirus specifically because the adenoviruses ARE responsible for the common cold! Generally speaking however, any cold/flu symptom that is prolonged and WITH fever (usually sustained fever over 100 degrees) SHOULD have a doctor's consult...or nurse practitioner...or shaman...or whoever you see for your health care. Prolonged cough (with discolored sputum, pain in the chest cavity, or anything else not your "normal" for a cough), prolonged fever, prolonged diarrhea or gastric upset/vomiting, prolonged headache/body aches, PROLONGED ANYTHING, SHOULD be cause for a consult with your physician. "Prolonged" to me generally means anything I just can't stand any longer...which could range from a few hours to several days, depending on the symptom. And any physician worth their weight will WANT to know if you have any of these symptoms if you are also IMMUNO-COMPROMISED.

If you are interested in reading the CDC's report about the AD14 virus, you can link to it here http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5645a1.htm . Yep, you guessed it...the article is from the CDC's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report", or the MMWR. THIS is why the mutant AD14 virus is making the news...

**DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor...I only play one on the INTERNET.**