Trench Fever

Method of Prevention

The best and most effective way to prevent the disease from spreading is by keeping clean and sanitary. Don't wear some dirty clothes that you find in a alley, because there is a chance that it may contain infected lice. The reason why this method works is because the only way you will get the disease is through lice, and you can't get lice unless you come in contact some dirty clothes/things infected with lice! If you already have the disease, then use antibiotics to prevent it from getting worse.

Story

The sickness is absolutely horrible. I

cannot move around because I am

weak in my back and legs. It is

uncomfortable laying in my bed all day

with these rashes and the horrible fever.

I have trouble looking around because of

the pain in my eye's. The headache is the worst. My quality of life has dissipated and

all I feel is discomfort.

Infection Rates

The amount of people infected around the world is estimated to be very low. In fact, the disease is so rare nowadays that the exact number of people is unknown! The last major outbreak was during WWII between the men in the German army. The infection rate is very low, and the only known cases of trench fever after WWII was between the homeless, and injection drug users. Both gender's are affected equally and the only way to get infected is through lice.

Spread

History

Survival & Treatment

Where it is Found

Trench fever is transmitted through lice. In the trenches during WWI, conditions were not sanitary. The trenches were cramped and lice could easily move from an infected person to a uninfected person, spreading the disease. Trench fever still remains to this day, particularly in the homeless where the disease can quickly spread because of unsanitary conditions.

The disease was very deadly during WWI where soldiers were already in terrible, weak conditions.

The disease is rarely fatal now and people can recover without the use of antibiotics. The survival rate remains high throughout the world. The disease can sometimes lead to heart failure. Therefore, antibiotics can be used to treat the disease and decrease the risk of death. There are two types of antibiotics used, Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol. Chloramphenicol is used for people with liver and kidney problems, and for kids under 9 years of age. Antibiotics are taken for seven to ten days. Recovery without antibiotics will take over a month.

First recognized in 1915, trench fever was a major medical problem during World War I. Lice prospered in the trenches affecting many men. It returned during WWII where a outbreak happened between the German troops on the Eastern front.

The bacteria is found in the stomach walls of lice.

- A louse

Symptoms

Causes of Disease

Wow Facts

1. 800,000 cases of trench fever was

reported during WWI. An estimated

45,000 died and 80% of the rest would be unable to fight.

2. The DNA of B quintana, the bacteria that causes trench fever, was found in a 4000-year-old human tooth in Roaix, France.

3. DNA studies have shown that many soldiers in Napoleon’s Grand Army at Vilnius in the 19th century were infected with B quintana.

4. J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of popular books The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, suffered from trench fever.

Symptoms do not occur until about two weeks after coming in contact with the disease. The effects of the symptoms happen very suddenly. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, soreness of the muscles in the legs and back, and pain when moving eyeballs. Aftereffects may occur, resulting in cardiac disturbances, fatigue, anxiety and muscle pain.

The disease is caused by bacteria. The specific bacteria which causes trench fever is called Bartonella quintana. The bacteria is bacillus. It does not have a common name.

- a soldier infected with trench fever during WWI

Bibliography

"Trench Fever." : Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

"Trench Fever." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

I. "Untitled." Untitled. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

Self Evaluation

38/40

Trench Fever by Brett Young