CHLAMYDIA

Chlamydia Trachomatis

CAUSATIVE AGENT
Chlamydia trachomatis Passed during sexual contact; infants can become infected during vaginal delivery. Highly contagious.

INCUBATION

2-3 weeks for males, usually no symptoms in females.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

Symptoms

tend to develop slowly and are often mild. Many cases have no symptoms. Females sometimes a slight vaginal discharge; itching and burning of vagina, painful intercourse, abdominal pain, fever in later stages. Males discharge from penis; burning and itching of urethral opening; burning sensation during urination

DIAGNOSIS
Difficult

to diagnose; culture test can determine disease, but many private doctors and hospitals do not have it; diagnosis is often by ruling out gonorrhea with appropriate test; a more rapid test involving microscopic examination of discharge from urethra or cervix has been recently developed.

TREATMENT
Antibiotics as prescribed. (Ex: Doxycycline)

COMPLICATIONS
If

untreated, can cause sterility, prematurity and stillbirths, infant pneumonia and eye infections in infants which can lead to blindness.

GARDNERELLA VAGINITIS
Gardnerella Vaginalis

CAUSATIVE AGENT
Gardnerella

vaginalis

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

Most

persons do not have any symptoms, especially rare in males. Female symptoms may include a slight grayish or yellow odorous vaginal discharge and mild itching or burning sensation.

DIAGNOSIS
Microscopic

slide, chemical analysis of vaginal material and culture test from infection site.

TREATMENT
Curable

with antibiotics and vaginal creams or suppositories.

COMPLICATIONS
Recently,

this condition has been associated with prematurity and other abnormal pregnancy outcomes.

TRICHOMONIASIS
(Trich)

CAUSATIVE AGENT
Trichomonas

Vaginalis (Protozoan) - Usually passed by direct sexual contact. Can be transmitted through contact with wet objects, such as towels, washclothes, and douching equipment.

INCUBATION
4

to 20 days, with average being 7 days.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

FEMALE: White or greenish-yellow odorous discharge

Vaginal itching and soreness

Painful Urination

MALE:
Slight

itching of Penis

Painful Urination

Clear Discharge from Penis

DIAGNOSIS

Microscopic slide of discharge

Culture Test

Examination

TREATMENT
Curable

with an oral medication

COMPLICATIONS
Long-term

effects in adults not known. There are some evidence that infected individuals are more likely to develop

FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE IN COMMUNICAB LE DISEASE CONTROL

The functions of the Community Health Nurse in the Communicable Disease Control Program will vary according to the type of organization where he/she works. Assists the family in recognizing and solving health problems. Provides nursing care to patients, teaches and supervises others in the home who are responsible for the care of the patient. Guides the family in recognizing the need for medical supervision and assist them in obtaining medical care, gives treatment under medical direction and interprets the physicians findings.

 Refers

individuals and other members of the family and community with social, economic, and emotional problems to appropriate community resources/agencies. Performs health education work in the home, in school, industry, clinic and conference sessions through health teaching, sharing literatures; talks to community groups and participates in planning and improving community health programs. Instructs and demonstrates isolation and quarantine procedures to the patients or to the responsible members of the family. Teaches family members how to recognize and reports suspicious signs and symptoms of communicable diseases so that early diagnosis

and medical care may be obtained. Advises kind and need for immunization if available for the specific disease. In case of sexually transmitted diseases, confidentiality should be observed. Counseling and follow-up of cases and contacts are important. Emphasizes the danger of complications in specific communicable disease and explains the measures to prevent them. The nurse stresses to the family that he/she is there to help and not just reinforce health policies and regulations on the control of communicable diseases. If however, the members of the family fail to comply with health policies/regulations made to protect the

Community, the nurse should report to health officer or other authority. The community health nurse must be aware of other health facilities in the community such as local medical association, social welfare organization, voluntary and service organizations and hospitals which accept communicable diseases in order to properly refer patients for medical and social care. The nurse must be knowledgeable on local prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates and should be able to compare them with those of previous years and with the national rates. He/She must also know the etiology, modes of transmission, methods of control and the regulations concerning each communicable disease.

 Collaborates

continuously with the hospital nurse, other hospital staff and Gos/NGOs to enable them to effectively control communicable diseases.