Now What?

As the semester is rapidly coming to a close I find myself wondering, now what? In 11 days I will be done with Physiology, Rehabilitative Biomechanics, Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Human Disease, and Epidemiology. And I will be halfway done with my junior year as an undergrad!! With the semester ending I am left with the question: so now what?

I will obviously continue to take Health Science classes/electives in order to graduate on time, but then what? I currently plan to apply to grad school for Occupational Therapy. If I stay on my current track, I will be applying to grad schools this time next year already! That being said, I need to accomplish a lot between now and then. I have to take the GRE, spend 40+ hours shadowing an OT, visit and apply to grad schools, and everything else in between. Once this semester is over, I will have roughly a month off, where I will hopefully be able to plan ahead on how I hope to accomplish some of these tasks.

Over break I also want to really reconsider my options as a Health Science major. Should I apply to grad school for OT? Should I consider other types of professional school?  Should I take a year off and try to earn some money to pay for grad school? Should I stop at undergrad and hope I can find a suitable job with my Health Science degree? Or should I “bank” on marrying rich and not having to use my degree at all? (JUST KIDDING about the last question) But really, though, all these questions are important and weigh heavy on my mind as my time at JMU is coming to a close faster than I realize.

Taking epidemiology this semester has also broadened my opinion on health and disease, especially in the areas of animal epi and how child and adolescent health is directly related to the health of a country. So I also wonder, now what in terms of epidemiology? Should I venture to find more classes related to this subject? Should I try studying abroad to gain a new perspective on how others view health and disease? Should I even get a Masters in Epidemiology?

So I ask myself again…now what? After writing this blog, it appears I have a lot I need to think and pray about over the next few months. I am excited to see what the future has in store for me and in my continued education!  

Let the countdowns begin!

5 days until break, 11 days until Thanksgiving, 19 days till Finals begin, 26 days till the end of the semester, and 37 days till Christmas!!! With so many countdowns in the near future it is sometimes hard to concentrate on what is at hand. It is also hard to believe that my junior year is almost halfway completed! Where has the time gone? It seems like just a few days ago I started writing these blogs unsure of what I would be able to write about from week to week.

Tick tock!

Looking back, I can see that I have grown better at writing my blogs and while doing so have gained an immense amount of knowledge about epidemiology over the last 13 weeks or so. Before taking the class, I did not even know what epidemiology was, let alone all the different facets it encompasses.  This class has been eye opening and I have found interest in several aspects of health that I had not considered interesting before which is also refreshing. Looking back on the semester, I have gained a better knowledge of different topics such as the flu of 1918, how case studies are done based on the type of disease, the different types of tests and surveys that are done to study diseases (especially graphs and charts), how diseases are spread from animals to humans, how bad traffic injury is in India and Africa, how infant mortality is directly linked to a country’s overall health, how to compare different statistics and so much more!

I will be taking away more from this class, than I think I originally "signed up" for on MyMadison last spring, and I could not be more thrilled.  So many of my friends have asked me about epidemiology and what it all entails and I love that I am now able to inform them correctly.

Finally, as these countdowns all come spiraling down quickly, I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to being united with family and friends back in my hometown, Hampton, VA. I also look forward to my mom's home cooked meals (even though JMU's dining is awesome), spending time with my boyfriend and his family, and going shopping and baking holiday treats. And once we get back from Thanksgiving break, we only have two short weeks until Winter break, which is always my favorite time of the year! With that being said...On your mark, get set, go...! Let us begin counting down the days!!

Itching for More Information

Friday was like any other Friday for me.  I met with one of my groups for another class to work on our case study paper, went to class, did laundry and cleaned my apartment.  Friday night I had winter semi formal for club swim team that I went to, and then Saturday came…I woke up around 10 am, ate breakfast and soon after I started to feel very itchy.  My scalp, neck and upper back were red and had little raised bumps on them.  At first I thought I just needed to shower and clean up.  However, after my shower the itching got worse and spread to my stomach and chest.  It appeared that I was having an allergic reaction to something and as a result was experiencing hives. It was an annoyance and very irritating to be so itchy.  However, after a few hours of intense itching it seemed to go away.  Sadly, later in the day the itching returned, but in new places on my body.  The itching became so bad that I decided to go to the drug store and buy Benadryl and anti-histamine itch cream to help reduce my symptoms.  Again the hives stopped itching. Then on Saturday night the hives returned once again while I was working for SafeRides.  Again the intense itching became almost unbearable to deal with.  I eventually fell asleep late Saturday night and was able to sleep through the night without waking up.  Sunday morning, I started to break out in hives again. They did not show signs of improvement. If anything, they were getting worse.  Now it is Sunday afternoon and the itching seems to have stopped for now thanks to the Benadryl and anti-itch cream.  One of the side effects of Benadryl is drowsiness, though, which I am currently experiencing and am therefore having difficulty doing my homework.  

In regards to epidemiology, trying to find the cause and reason behind my hives is quite difficult.  When trying to determine the cause of a disease (hives for instance) you need to ask yourself/the person many different questions such as when did you first start to experience symptoms A, B, C, etc.?  What did you eat in the past 3 days? Did you eat anything different than what you normally eat?  Did you change the type of detergent you use on your laundry? Did you walk around in the woods or a grassy field?  These are just a few of the many questions you would want to ask to try and narrow down possible causes for the hives.  I myself answered all of these questions and more, and have not been able to pinpoint the direct cause of my hives.  In fact, I dumbfounded that I have hives because I have not had them since I was a little girl.  I am just “itching” to know what could have caused this type of reaction. 

Over the next few days I will continue to monitor my symptoms.  If the hives do not go away by mid-week I will go see a doctor and see if I might have some other disease.  For now it is a waiting game and I hope the pain and itching will soon go away without any medical help. 

Hallow-homecoming!

This past weekend JMU celebrated homecoming. All last week there were fun events leading up to the big game day on Saturday such as the annual passing out of the “Purple Out” t-shirts, pimping your ride with JMU spirit, and the pep rally on the Commons.  It was a time when students got to really show their school spirit and love for JMU and see alumni.  It was also Halloween weekend so there were festivities for the holiday as well.  In fact, many people were calling last weekend “Hallow-homecoming.”  There were many activities going on between Halloween and actual homecoming.  It was a fun, yet busy weekend!

Ducks swimming in the arboretum pond

On Friday, my boyfriend (who attends Virginia Tech), came to visit.  The weather was so nice Friday afternoon we decided to go for a walk in the arboretum and enjoy all the pretty fall colors in the trees. After yet another stressful week, it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of school and enjoy Mother Nature and her beauty.  Hiking and being outside is one of my favorite things to do to de-stress.  While on our walk we were able to see a few different types of animals as well.  We enjoyed feeding the ducks by the pond as well as seeing different types of birds.  We even spotted a ground hog crawling around not too far from us. In my opinion, there is nothing better then being able to listen to the trees rustle in the wind and hear different animals communicate.  Being in epidemiology I have become even more interested in the environment and how diseases can spread within the environment and between animals.  For instance, I did a blog in the beginning of the semester on an outbreak of dolphin deaths in my hometown, which sparked my interest.  I was also interested to hear about the spread of bird diseases in African from one of our guest speakers in class.  Events such as these are interesting to me and are not only important to study for the animal’s health, but even human health. 

Let's go JMU Duuuukes!

Next came Saturday and the homecoming football game! My boyfriend and I not only went to the game, but we also enjoyed tailgating beforehand.  While tailgating I was able spend some time with my older brother, John, who is an alumus of JMU, and also see other fellow alumni that I knew who graduated last year. The actual football game was fun too.  The Dukes won against Villanova and afterwards it was time to celebrate! Overall, the weekend was filled with fun, memorable activities, and a big part of what made the weekend so enjoyable was the beautiful fall weather!     

 

Injury Epi- How a Kitchen Knife Fell on my Foot!

In lieu of discussing injury epi in class last Wednesday, I deemed it reasonable to write my blog this week on an injury I myself experienced a little over a year ago.  In class we discussed how the word “accident” is politically incorrect because an “accident” implies that the act is random or unavoidable, when in reality there is a cause and effect for everything and almost, if not every “accident,” can be avoided or prevented.  Instead, of using the term accident, it is more accurate to use words such as “injury,” “car crash,” “collision,” etc.  So as for my “injury…”

In late August, summer of 2012, I had a horrific event take place -- I had a very large kitchen knife fall onto my right BARE FOOT. At the time I immediately went into shock, but luckily both my parents were in the kitchen when the event took place so they were able to assist me.  It didn’t bleed too much but, looking at the cut, my parents and I knew it was serious.  My mom took me to a Med Express where they asked me to move my big toe, and sadly I was not able to do so.  As a result, I was referred to a foot surgeon in fear that I had cut through to a tendon or worse, bone.  Again, I was lucky to have been referred to the doctor I was. His office was quite nearby and he was able to see me fairly soon.  An x-ray showed the bone was not cut  or broken, but he had me go in for an MRI that evening to get a look at the tendon before jumping into surgery.  Test results weren’t clear but he felt sure the tendon was at least torn and that surgery was in order.   My doctor told me this not only meant I had to have surgery, but that after surgery I would not be able to put ANY pressure on my right foot for the next 6 weeks, and that if I did I could easily re-injury the tendon, and have to start back at square one with a second surgery.  He temporarily stitched it up and three days later I had surgery where he discovered the tendon had been completely severed.   

Injured foot after surgery-- pretty gross!

Now let me remind you, this all happened in late August, about a week before it was time to move back to JMU for the fall of my sophomore year.  Knowing I would have to be on crutches for 6 weeks and that I could easily reinjure myself was extremely nerve racking.  I even debated taking off a semester, but with the support from my friends and family I decided to take each day as a challenge and came back to JMU on crutches.  Those next 6 weeks of classes were probably the most difficult 6 weeks of my life.  I was challenged everyday physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I was in pain often and felt depressed and hopeless. My arms ached from crutching around campus, heavy backpack on my shoulders, hopping up and down stairs in buildings with broken elevators, waiting for the disability bus that sometimes was very late.  With every little bump or stretch, I feared I had reinjured my foot.  While I had support from friends, professors, classmates and my family, it was still a difficult time. When I was not in class, I was bed ridden and felt trapped.  I couldn’t get to the dining hall or many other places, and was often alone.  Finally, 6 weeks had come and gone and I was off crutches for good!  I did, however, have to go to physical therapy for a few weeks to regain strength and flexibility in my foot, as the tendon was now shorter and very stiff from being immobile for so long.  Looking back now, it is just another page in my book of life, but it is certainly a more memorable one, and with good reason! 

Crutches didn't stop me from going to the football games!

Now looking at the nitty gritty of the epi triad with injury it’s time to see how my injury could have been prevented and avoided. The environment was the kitchen, the human was Jenna (me!), and the agent was the knife. 

That day, my parents had been slicing tomatoes for lunch and I went to grab a loaf of bread behind the cutting board, and knocked the knife right off the counter and onto my foot. The first thing that could have been changed was not leaving the kitchen knife on the counter out.  The second and probably more important thing, though, is that I should not have been barefoot in the kitchen knowing there are knives as well as other sharp objects that can be potentially harmful.  We were also all reaching around each other trying to make our own sandwiches.  We should have waited.  In the end, the injury occurred, but it is something that could have been prevented had certain factors been changed. 

Weekend Adventures followed by a not so adventrerous Monday

Well, I may have jinxed myself in last week’s blog when I boasted about not being sick yet this semester.  Today, I came down with some virus—I have the chills and have been running a fever of 102 on and off today.  I have no energy to do much of anything, I luckily took some ibuprofen, which has helped motivate me to write this blog as well as do some other much needed homework.  I am hopeful that this virus will work its way out of me quickly.  Enough about me being sick though… let’s talk about my weekend! 

As I have mentioned before, I am on the Club Swim Team here at JMU and this weekend we had our first meet! We got up early Saturday morning and rode buses up to the University of Maryland.  It only took us about 2 hours! At the meet I swam in the 200 Medley Relay, 50 and 25 meter Butterfly and 50 freestyle. 

Me swimming 50 meter butterfly!

My "shark" Erin and I reunited!

While I myself did not swim any personal bests or win my heats, JMU as a whole won the meet!  While at the meet I was able to see and visit with one of my good friends from high school, Cara, who swims on the club team for Mary Washington University.  I also was able to see my “Shark” or “Big,” Erin, who graduated last year from JMU.  She lives in Maryland and was home on Fall Break from grad school and was able to stop by and see everyone, which was awesome! Overall, the meet went great! It was over by around 4 and we left shortly after and arrived back at JMU around 7, due to some traffic we hit in Northern, VA.  When I got home, I was wiped out after my big day so I did a little homework and then put in a movie and called it a night! Then, on Sunday I was able to sleep in and in the afternoon I attended a SafeRides retreat where we played games and got to know each other better.  While my weekend was busy, I was able to still get homework done and have fun all at the same time!

"Goofy" team picture!

Now back to me being sick… One thought that occurred to me today, as I lay in bed ill was how and where I might have contracted this virus?  At the swim meet? At the SafeRides retreat? In class Thursday or Friday? From one of my roommates?  On the bus? The possibilities are endless.  At this point it does not matter…I am sick.  With that being said, though, I am going to do everything in my power to not let anyone else around me get sick by staying in my room as much as possible and washing my hands thoroughly throughout the day.    

Midterms: Where Sleep is for the “Weak”

As crazy as it is to say, last week was the official midpoint of the semester.  These past 7 weeks have flown by!  Like all semesters there have certainly been better weeks than others, but the midpoint is usually the hardest part of any semester.  Why? For one, you are beginning to burn out from classes and studying.  You are also usually filled with even more stress than normal and sleep tends to be on the bottom of your “to do” list because you have multiple tests all crammed into 1-2 weeks.  For example, last week alone I had 3 major tests and a quiz on top of my normal course workload.  Needless to say, I am still feeling the sleepless nights from last week this week. But it doesn’t stop there. This week I have a mid-term in epidemiology and a quiz. As if school wasn’t enough to keep me from sleeping, I am also involved in club swimming, SafeRides and Pre-occupational Therapy Association which all have meetings weekly.  I also recently started working at E-hall to help pay for school.  With all of these responsibilities it can be challenging to find time to sleep and stay sane.  What I like to do to keep my stress levels lower is to run or swim, but with all the midterms, I have simply not had time to do these activities. 

Thankfully, these sleepless weeks will soon be over and done with and I, along with my fellow classmates, can hopefully get back to a more routine sleep schedule.  Even though many claim jokingly that sleep is for the “weak” it is actually the opposite of that.  Sleep is for the strong and the smart.  As a Health Science major, I know how vital sleep is, especially in regards to staying healthy and alert in class.  From an epidemiological standpoint, lowering your immune system by not eating healthy, not sleeping or not practicing good hygiene leaves a person much more susceptible to contracting a disease. I am very fortunate that I do not get sick very often and in fact, have not been sick at all yet this semester, but during midterms I am always fearful that I will contract something from my lack of sleep and less than healthy due to my stress levels and busy schedule.

Visting Grandma Napier--An Epidemiolgical Perspective

This weekend I was able to spend time with some of my family.  On Friday night, my mom drove up to JMU and stayed with me in my apartment. It was nice to finally get to see her and catch up on our lives. She even took me grocery shopping—and paid -- which was a plus! On Saturday we got up early and drove to Silver Spring, Maryland to visit my Grandma Napier.  She lives in a large retirement community called Riderwood Village.  To get a feel for the place, I find myself comparing it to a college campus such as JMU, except it is filled with a much older population obviously (60+ years).  Not only are there are a variety of housing options and apartments/dorms, there are also numerous dining halls, art classes, music rooms, a gym, game rooms, and buses that shuttle people around campus. I have been to this retirement community for several years now, but this time I found myself looking at it through a new lens. 

I found myself thinking about epidemiology and even some of my other health classes such as Human Diseases and Rehabilitative Biomechanics. I paid special attention to the different types of walkers, canes and wheelchairs the residents were using, including my own grandma.  I also paid attention to the design and set up of the bathrooms and dining halls and how they were made to accommodate wheelchairs and such (larger walkways, lower counters, etc.) Another thing I noticed more so this time then other times I have visited were the number of “help” cords strategically placed throughout the buildings.  The entire place is designed with the elderly population in mind and it can be directly linked to health. I think the retirement community does a good job trying to cover all of the areas of health.  They have a church where you can attend services, they have guest speakers come talk frequently, and they hold social dances and game nights hoping to get everyone involved and moving. 

My grandmother, herself, lives in a more assisted living area where she has nurses and health professionals come in and help her bathe, clean, do her laundry, and bring her food if she cannot eat in the dining room.  There is also a nurse on call at all times if she has a medical need.  At age 85 she is now about 4’9” and weighs roughly 90 pounds, so she is pretty delicate.  She suffers from osteoporosis and has a lot of pain from arthritis.  She uses a walker and motorized “jazzi” to move around.  In regards to epidemiology, I began to think about several common communicable diseases, particularly ones that the elderly population would be more susceptible to.  I realized how easily things would spread and how devastating it would/could be if this community was to suffer from something as simple as a foodborne illness in one of their dining halls or if there was an outbreak of the flu.  These diseases don’t seem as much of a threat to people like you and me, but they can be fatal to those who are older and already have a more suppressed immune system.  I also came to realize how easy it would be to have an endemic at the retirement community to because of the close living quarters.  All of these factors make it very possible for something to happen, but there are many methods the community does to try and prevent this from happening.  They offer flu shots, have hand sanitizer almost everywhere, use gloves when working with patients and prepare foods under clean and safe conditions. 

The girls at brunch on Sunday after church!

On a lighter note, we also took my grandmother shopping to the mall.  She wanted to get some new brown loafers.  We didn’t end up finding a pair that would work, but we did have fun time.  We also got to share a few nice meals together in their dining halls.  Overall, the weekend was a nice “getaway” from school and work and some special memories were made. 

“Ill” Feelings About US Government Shutdown…

 

Even Mr. Teddy has "ill" feelings about the shutdown...

After hearing numerous reports on the US Government shut down I was shocked and somewhat concerned to hear that parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be closed as a result of the shutdown.  I was aware that certain areas of the government were going to be closed including things like national parks, but had no idea that health organizations were going to be closed too.  As an aspiring health professional and someone with a strong interest in the well being of this nation, it is disappointing to hear about this part of the shutdown. 

I read an article online on CBS news where the authors were describing the impact of the shutdown on the NIH and CDC.  I found the entire article very informative, but there was one quote from a CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden, that made me pause and think.  In the article Dr. Frieden stated, “I usually don't lose sleep despite the threats that we face, but I am losing sleep because we don't know if we'll be able to find and stop things that might kill people."  This quote stood out to me because without people constantly working on tracking outbreaks of diseases and foodborne illness, or even discovering new vaccines for the flu, everyone is at risk.  For the health and well being of this country, we need to have health care professionals, scientists in the lab and epidemiologists working round the clock.  Everyone who works for the NIH and CDC plays an important role in the prevention and cure for diseases. So I found it astounding when the article also mentioned that two-thirds of CDC employees are not working to help protect Americans from health threats, all because of the shutdown. 

After seeing documentaries on the Bubonic plague, Influenza of 1918 and even the fictional movie Contagion, I have come to realize how easy and rapid a disease can spread and re-emerge.  Tonight I go to bed a little unsettled and ill minded knowing that more than half of the CDC is not going to be working until the government reopens.  I hope and pray this shutdown does not produce bad outcomes in regards to the health of this country or lead to an epidemic, but only time will tell…   

The Next Disease is only a Plane Ride Away...

Plane ride to St. Louis I took in summer of 2010.

Since being in college I have not been one to watch much local or even national news.  Today, however, I decided to open up CNNs website and see what some of the big news headlines had to say.  As a health science major (with great interest in wellbeing), I immediately clicked on the “Health” tab and one of the first articles that grabbed my attention was titled, “CDC director: A disease outbreak anywhere is a risk everywhere” by Dr. Tom Frieden.  It immediately grabbed my attention as we have been discussing the importance of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in my epidemiology class. I then decided to read over the article and what I learned was somewhat unsettling.  In the article Frieden discussed how easy it is for a disease to spread, and spread fast! He states, “We are all connected by the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, and the next outbreak may be just a plane ride away.”  This statement stood out to me, and could not be more true, which is why it scary to think about. One simple mistake or overlook of a disease could cause an epidemic or even a pandemic! This is a chilling, yet realistic, situation.  Especially in today’s modern world with people traveling from country to country, the spread of disease is even easier and harder to control.  While I have not traveled internationally much, I know many friends who have for study abroad trips and mission trips.  It is scary to think that they could easily contract a disease overseas and bring it back with them to the US. Without epidemiologists and other health professionals working constantly to identify new viruses and bacteria and figuring out how to stop disease from spreading disease, it would be an even bigger issue than it already is. 

With aspirations to be a health professional someday, articles such as this are very informative and helpful.  Even though I hope to be an Occupational Therapist and not an epidemiologist, I can still use my knowledge on epidemiological matter to inform patients on how to help prevent the spread of disease. I can also encourage them to take antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, since the overuse of antibiotics has made many bacteria resistant to medication.  It is well known that it is much easier and cost effective to prevent a disease from ever occurring.  And at the end of the same I want to make sure that myself and those around me are healthy and free from contracting an infectious disease!

SAVE THE DOLPHINS!

Xeon kissing Jenna!

I think dolphins are such beautiful, unique marine mammals.  I first grew fond of them 3 summers ago, when I went on a cruise to the Bahamas.  While on my trip I was blessed to get the chance to swim with dolphins on a little island called Free Port. The dolphin I got to swim with and get to know was named Xeon.  She was very friendly and loved to “show-off.”  My favorite part of this experience was actually getting to stroke Xeon and feel her slippery, water-repellent skin. Ending the session with a big, wet kiss by Xeon was the icing on the cake!  It was such a wonderful experience.

Since that trip, I have kept a special eye out for dolphins whenever I am near the water.  In fact, this summer I was a lifeguard at Buckroe Beach on the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton, Virginia (about 30 minutes away from VA Beach for those who aren’t familiar with southeast Virginia).  There I got to spend many, many long hours on stand at the beach gazing out into the expanse of water in front of me. As I sat guarding I would occasionally see dolphins out in the distance swim by in groups of about 5 or 7.  Since guarding can be fairly boring most days, whenever I could spot dolphins swimming by I would get extremely excited.  I found it to be really cool getting to see them travel by with the current.  They even did jumps and flips sometimes as they swam by. 

I vividly remember on the 4^th of July seeing a pack of about 10 dolphins swim by very close to the shore (only about 15 feet from a family out in the water)! I also remember being shocked that these dolphins would swim so close to land, let alone people!  It was soon after the holiday that beaches around our area began to find dolphins washed up on the shores dead. By the end of July/early August at Buckroe alone we had 3 dolphins wash up.  It was the saddest thing to see.  All the dolphins that died and washed up were taken up by Animal Control and tested.  Since leaving the beach on August 16^th I had not kept up with any further reasoning beyond the spike in deaths among dolphins.  As I was deciding what to write in my blog this week I was trying to think of experiences I have had in my own life that I could relate directly to epidemiology.  It was then I decided to follow up on any recent news regarding the dolphins dying in my area. 

Picture I took this summer of one of the dolphins that washed up at Buckroe Beach: 8/2/13

I did some research online and found an article by Christine Dell'Amore in the National Geographic News that was written in response to the alarming number of dolphin deaths on the east coast this summer.  The article was written on August 7, 2013 by Dell’Amore where she describes possible causes for this catastrophe.  No one reason has been linked to these deaths. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Services is working hard to find the exact cause.  They have tested several dolphins, including one that washed up in Norfolk, VA.  This dolphin and several others tested positive for a fetal (fatal?) airborne virus in dolphins called morbillivirus, which is a similar to the measles.  According to the article, there was a morbillivirus epidemic that affected the east coast marine life in 1987 and 1988 and killed over 900 animals; especially migratory dolphins.   Scientists wonder if this epidemic will be as catastrophic as the one in the 80s.  I found it very interesting in article that they described the steps that NOAA is taking to find the cause of these deaths—one of epidemiologist’s main jobs! I also found it interesting that they are trying to track down which areas had more deaths then others along the coast.  The more I read into the article, the more I realized just how perfectly this article relates to epidemiology.  To say the least, this class shed a whole new light on how I view diseases and how they can spread. 

 

On a more serious note, though, I hope NOAA or some other organization is able to find the exact cause of all these deaths soon or can find a cure for this horrible disease.  I love dolphins and hate to see them dying at such a rapid rate… Save the dolphins!!

"I Had a Little Bird, Its Name was Enza..."

1918 was a time of turmoil for the United States.  Not only were we at war in Europe, we were also fighting our own "war" back in our homeland against influenza.  The US was suffering the worst flu epidemic in history.  People were dying in staggering numbers from the disease.  No one knew who would be the next person to get sick and die.  It was truly an unsettling and eerie time in this nation’s history.  

The worst part was there were no answers as to where this horrible disease came from or how to stop it.  Some people believed it was the Armageddon or that the Germans gave it to us.  Doctors originally thought it was a bacterium causing the sickness, but the vaccines they made for it did nothing.  People continued to die at unprecedented rates. We now know that the disease that caused the 1918 flu was a virus.  Unfortunately, viruses cannot be seen by the human eye or even by the microscope during that time.  

Since vaccines could not fix the problem, quackery became common.  Many people made their own medicines at home, hoping something would work.  However, death rates continued to skyrocket.  Trenches were dug to accommodate the mass of coffins.  People tried quarantining those who were sick, but even that did not stop the deadly disease from spreading. 

The worst and deadliest month was October.  In 31 days over 195,000 people were killed from the influenza.  The strangest thing about this flu, unlike most flu viruses, was that 21-29 year olds were the most vulnerable people.  This included our soldiers at war who were also getting sick and dying; people who were considered healthy and robust were the target for this virus.  In the past, the flu was known to target babies, older people or those with already weakened immune systems.  It seemed like the human race would die out soon if a cure was not discovered…

But in November 1918, death rates finally started to drop.  And by the end of the war (Nov. 11^th) the flu was almost non-existent.  It disappeared, just as fast as it had come.  But it left an impact on this nation that can never be forgotten.  Everyone in American knew someone either family, friend or neighbor who had died from the flu.  But the excitement of winning the war helped Americans move forward and soon the Influenza of 1918 was a thing of the past…

From a student who is studying epidemiology, studying and learning about past epidemics and pandemics is extremely important, especially this one because it was the worst in US history!  By studying this disease we can better learn about viruses and how they are transmitted.  However, studying the spread and cause of this disease is not an easy task as it was so rapid and short-lived. 

It is frightening to think that something like this could happen again.  In fact, it is not unlikely that something so horrible as the influenza outbreak of 1918 could happen at any moment.  Viruses and bacteria are constantly evolving and changing, which is why it is important scientists constantly study and record any new developing viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.  It is also so important that epidemiologists and even a health professionals keep a close eye on the spread of diseases and try determining their cause(s) as quickly as possible.  But above all, proactively preventing a disease from ever occurring is the best solution!  Several years ago scientists warned of possible wide spread illness from the swine flu and many efforts, including extra opportunities and encouragement to get free vaccines, were put forth to protect the public.  Fortunately there was no outbreak but if there had been, health officials were ready.

Insight on Epidemiology in regards to "Contagion"

As an undergraduate Health Science major at James Madison University, I am taking an Epidemiology class.  Going into class I was not sure what to expect.   I only knew epidemiology was a field of science that had to do with the study of diseases, but not much more about the subject.  Only a week into the semester and reading about Epidemiology and I am eager and excited to expand my knowledge and learn more about this subject in the next 15 weeks or so! 

Our first week of class was spent watching the movie “Contagion” about the rapid spread of a deadly infection and how the professional world and health communities dealt with finding a cure.  I had never seen this film, but found it to be very eye opening. To begin, in the film a good deal of time was spent talking about fomites.  I had never heard this term before and found it very interesting to learn that fomites are inanimate objects that can carry a disease-causing organism on them (doorknob, elevator buttons, bathroom stalls, etc.) and it emphasized how often we come into contact with such objects on a daily basis.  This alone made me much more aware of my surroundings and everything I touch! I was also intrigued by how the movie portrayed the public’s reaction to such an epidemic.  It was a very plausible account in my opinion.  It showed people acting out in violence; robbing houses, pharmacies, and grocery stores.  If something like this were to happen in the US or anywhere for that matter, people would panic and violence would occur without a doubt. 

In the film there is also a clear distinction between social classes and socioeconomic status.  In my Community Health class, one of the main themes we considered was “health equals wealth”; those who make less money and can afford less, usually have higher stress levels and more health problems.  This was seen in the movie, which showed a scene where Dr. Ellis Cheever (an upper class worker for the Center for Disease Control- CDC) calls his wife to leave Chicago because of an outbreak there.  A janitor over hears the conversation and points out to Cheever that he has a family he cares about too.  Later in the movie when they have found a vaccine for the virus, Cheever heroically gives his vaccine to the janitor’s son.  This to me was a touching scene and showed Cheever to be selfless, when in most of the movie he only seemed to be interested in keeping his own co-workers and family safe.  From a critical standpoint, however, I do not know the likelihood of an event like that happening in the real world.  I would think most people would probably take care of themselves and their families first with vaccines and immunizations.

Overall, the movie was very informative and realistic.  It helped me gain a better understanding of how fast disease can spread and the steps that are taken when a new virus or disease does occur.