Meningitis facts Inflammation of the meninges is called meningitis. Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. Infectious diseases like bacteria or viruses, a fungus, or parasites can cause meningitis. Some cases of meningitis can be noninfectious in origin. Headache, fever, and stiff neck are the most common symptoms …
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What is sepsis? Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a potentially life-threatening by the body in response to an infection. Warnings signs include high fever, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulties, drastic body temperature change, worsening infection, mental decline, and severe illness. Sepsis, or septicemia, is the body's extreme and life-threatening response to an infection. This condition is also called …
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Histoplasmosis (Cave disease) facts Histoplasmosis is a fungus that typically infects the lungs, causing pneumonia. Histoplasmosis is a lung disease caused by an infection with a fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum. The pulmonary (lung) infection results from inhaling airborne spores of the fungus. The fungus is common in the U.S. in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and is common in soil …
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Peritonitis facts Readers Comments 2 Share Your Story The signs and symptoms of peritonitis may vary depending upon the cause of the inflammation; however, there are relatively common indicators that suggest a person may have peritonitis. The definition of peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneal membranes. The signs and symptoms of peritonitis are mainly abdominal pain or discomfort but …
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What is meningitis? Meningitis is a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the layers of tissue and fluid that cover the spine and brain. All types of meningitis cause these three symptoms – high fever, severe headache, and a stiff neck that makes it hard to lower the chin to the chest. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining and fluid around …
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How many types of COVID-19 vaccines are in development? More than 150 vaccine candidates against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are in various stages of development. One from Pfizer-BioNTech was cleared for emergency use in the US in mid-December 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has afflicted millions of people worldwide. This global crisis has spurred dozens of vaccine …
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What is raxibacumab, and how is it used? raxibacumab is a prescription medicine used along with antibiotic medicines to treat people with inhalational anthrax. Raxibacumab can also be used to prevent anthrax disease when there are no other treatment options. The effectiveness of raxibacumab has been studied only in animals with inhalational anthrax. There have been no studies in people …
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What is Krintafel (tafenoquine), and how is it used? Krintafel is a prescription medicine used to treat malaria caused by a parasite called Plasmodium vivax in patients aged 16 years and older who are also receiving chloroquine to treat acute Plasmodium vivax malaria. Malaria is a serious disease of the blood that is spread by infected mosquitos. Krintafel does not …
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What is chickenpox? Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease that can have severe complications in adults. Adults are 25 times more likely to die from chickenpox than children are. Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. It's a highly contagious disease that used to be very common. Before the vaccine became available in the United States in …
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What is E. Coli? Since E. coli lives in the intestines, it leaves the body through fecal matter, from either humans or animals. In most cases, E. coli goes away without any medical treatment. E. coli is a family of bacteria that lives in the intestines. Most strains of these bacteria are harmless, but some release toxins that can make …
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