Dangerous Infections that kill

Doctors and nurses working in emergency rooms put their own health, and lives at risk each day. When people are brought into the emergency department of a hospital, there is not time to do a complete infectious disease work up before the medical teams start to treat them.

That means that the doctors, nurses, and lab technicians could be exposed to infectious diseases while they are trying to save a life. Doctors and nurses can be accidentally stuck by an infected needle, even if they are taking all other precautions. They can also breathe in infectious bacteria before they realize they need to have on protection.

1. Anthrax

Anthrax is one of the most dreaded infectious contagion. Anthrax carries with it the fear of biological threats because it can be used to make a lot of people very sick in a very short amount of time. There are treatments for anthrax including antibiotic treatments using ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin in conjunction with antitoxins, but the medications must be administered very quickly after the person has been exposed.

2. HIV Infections

The human immunodeficiency virus is a very real concern for doctors and nurses. If a doctor or nurse were to be stuck by a needle that had the HIV infection present on it then there would be a big chance that they would contract the disease. There is a medication that can be given to people after a suspected exposure, but the medication must be administered within three days of the exposure to be effective, and then it is not one hundred percent effective.

3. Hepatitis C

Although Hepatitis C is a curable blood born virus, it scared doctors and nurses. The disease can cause mild liver inflammation, liver cancer. Liver failure, and cirrhosis of the liver. The body can sometimes overcome exposure to Hepatitis C infection, but a large number of people who are exposed to this will develop a chronic case of it and have high risks of developing serious conditions because of it.

4. Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that is not as bad as catching Hepatitis C, but can be very serious, and can lead to the same serious conditions that Hepatitis C leads to. If a patient develops chronic Hepatitis B there is no cure, but there are medications to help control the condition.

5. Whooping Cough

Whooping cough can cause adults to have prolonged periods of coughing. Uncontrollable coughing that is painful and leaves you gasping for a breath. It is highly contagious and is spread through the air when an infected persons cough, and if the infected person happens to be an infant then whooping cough can be fatal. There are vaccines to help prevent whooping cough in children and in adults.

6. Meningitis

Meningitis is not easily contracted like whooping cough is. Meningitis infections can become deadly very quickly. There is a vaccine that is given to children to help prevent them from contracting meningitis, and when people are exposed there are antibiotic treatments that can help them reduce the chances that they will develop a deadly case of the infection.