Worm Infections

Intestinal Worms

The message is not so much that the worms will inherit the Earth, but that all things play a role in nature, even the lowly worm (Gary Larson)

Introduction

Intestinal worms, also known as parasitic worms, are one of the main types of intestinal parasites. Common types of intestinal worms include:

·         Flatworms, which include tapeworms and flukes.

·         Roundworms, which cause ascariasis, pinworm, and hookworm infections.

Tapeworm

You can get a tapeworm (which is a type of flatworm), by drinking water contaminated with tapeworm eggs or larvae. Raw or undercooked meat is another way tapeworms can find their way into people. Tapeworms embed their heads into the intestinal wall and remain there. From there, certain types of tapeworms can produce eggs that mature into larvae that migrate to other parts of the body.

A tapeworm looks like a long, white ribbon. They can grow up to 80 feet long and live in a human for up to 30 years.

Flukes

Flukes are a type of flatworm. People are less likely than animals to contract flukes. Raw watercress and other freshwater plants are the main sources of flukes in humans.

You can also get them when you drink contaminated water. They make their home in your intestines, blood, or tissues. There are many varieties of flukes. None reach more than a few inches in length.

Hookworms

Hookworms are transmitted through faeces and contaminated soil. The most common way to make contact with this type of roundworm is to walk barefoot on soil infested with hookworm larvae. They can pierce through the skin.

Hookworms live in the small intestine, where they attach themselves to the intestinal wall with a “hook.” They’re usually less than half an inch long.

Pinworms (threadworms)

Pinworms are tiny, fairly harmless worms. They’re more common in children. These roundworms, when fully matured, live in the colon and rectum. The female lays eggs around the anus, usually during the night. The eggs can survive on bedding, clothing, and other materials. People contract them when they touch the eggs and end up putting them in their mouths. The eggs are so small you can even breathe them in if they become airborne. They’re easily passed among children and caregivers or in institutions. Although pinworm infections are usually harmless and easily treatable, there have been less common cases of pinworms in the appendix that, when present, are usually in children and rarely in adults. 

Trichinosis worms

Trichinosis roundworms are passed among animals. The most common way humans get trichinosis is by eating undercooked meat that contains the larvae. The larvae mature in your intestines. As they reproduce, those larvae can travel outside the intestines into muscle and other tissue.

                              Some Pictures of worm infections in humans 

Symptoms

Common symptoms of intestinal worms are:

·         abdominal pain

·         diarrhoea, nausea, or vomiting

·         gas/bloating

·         fatigue

·         unexplained weight loss

·         abdominal pain or tenderness

·         A person with intestinal worms may also experience dysentery.

·         Intestinal worms can also cause a rash or itching around the rectum or vulva.

N/B: Some people may have intestinal worms for years without experiencing any symptoms.

Causes

One way to become infected with intestinal worms is eating under-cooked meat from an infected animal, such as a cow, pig, or fish. Other possible causes leading to intestinal worm infection include:

·         consumption of contaminated water

·         consumption of contaminated soil

·         contact with contaminated faeces

·         poor sanitation

·         poor hygiene

Roundworms are typically transmitted through contact with contaminated soil and faeces.

Once you’ve consumed the contaminated substance, the parasite travels into your intestine. Then they reproduce and grow in the intestine. Once they reproduce and become larger in amount and size, symptoms may appear.

Prevention

To prevent intestinal worms, regularly wash your hands with soap and hot water before and after using the toilet and before preparing or eating foods.

You should also practice food safety:

·        avoid raw fish and meat

·        thoroughly cook meat to temperatures of at least 145°F (62.8°C) for whole cuts of meat and 160°F (71°C) for ground meat and poultry

·        let cooked meat rest for three minutes before carving or consuming

·        freeze fish or meat to –4°F (–20°C) for at least 24 hours

·        wash, peel, or cook all raw fruits and vegetables

·        wash or reheat any food that falls on the floor

·        cook fruits and vegetables with boiled or purified water before eating

·        avoid contact with soil that may be contaminated with human faeces

Diagnosis

·        You should make an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor may then carry out an examination of your stool. It may take several stool samples to confirm the parasite’s presence.

·        Your doctor may carry out a blood test to look for antibodies your body produces when it’s infected with a parasite. Additionally, your doctor may take an X-ray or use imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depending on the extent or location(s) of disease suspected.

·        Your treatment plan will be determined based on the type of intestinal worm you have and your symptoms.

Tapeworm infections are usually treated with an oral medication, such as praziquantel (Biltricide).

Common treatments for a roundworm infection include mebendazole  and albendazole.

In all cases, please consult your doctor for proper examination and treatment.

Good health and well-being is of utmost importance.

Season’s Greetings

From Gpland

Staphylococcus: Friend or Foe ?

Staphylococcus aureus is not considered a sexually transmitted infection but at the same time, it is something that is passed from skin to skin contact.#

Introduction

Staphylococcus aureus is present in the nose (usually temporarily) of about 30% of healthy adults and on the skin of about 20% mostly without it causing any problems. However, sometimes the bacteria get inside the body and cause infection. The percentages are higher for people who are patients in a hospital or who work there.

Staphylococcus aureus is the most dangerous of all of the many common staphylococcal bacteria. These gram-positive, sphere-shaped (coccal) bacteria often causes skin infections but can cause pneumonia, heart valve infections, and bone infections.

The bacteria can spread from person to person by direct contact, through contaminated objects (such as gym equipment, telephones, door knobs or elevator buttons), or, less often, by inhalation of infected droplets dispersed by sneezing or coughing.

Types of Staph Infections and Symptoms of Staph Infections

All staphylococcal skin infections are very contagious. Skin infections due to Staphylococcus aureus can include the following:

Ø Folliculitis is the least serious. A hair root (follicle) is infected, causing a slightly painful, tiny pimple at the base of a hair.

Ø Impetigo consists of shallow, fluid-filled blisters that rupture, leaving honey-coloured crusts. Impetigo may itch or hurt.

Ø Abscesses (boils or furuncles) are warm, painful collections of pus just below the skin.

Ø Cellulitis is infection of skin and the tissue just under it. Cellulitis spreads, causing pain and redness.

Ø Toxic epidermal necrolysis and, in newborns, scalded skin syndrome are serious infections. Both can lead to large-scale peeling of skin.

Ø Breast infections (mastitis), which may include cellulitis and abscesses, can develop 1 to 4 weeks after delivery. The area around the nipple is red and painful. Abscesses often release large numbers of bacteria into the mother’s milk. The bacteria may then infect the nursing infant.

Ø Pneumonia often causes a high fever, shortness of breath, and a cough with sputum that may be tinged with blood. Lung abscesses may develop. They sometimes enlarge and involve the membranes around the lungs and sometimes cause pus to collect (called an empyema). These problems make breathing even more difficult.

Ø Bloodstream infection is a common cause of death in people with severe burns. Symptoms typically include a persistent high fever and sometimes shock.

Ø Endocarditis can quickly damage heart valves, leading to heart failure (with difficulty breathing) and possibly death.

Ø Osteomyelitis causes chills, fever, and bone pain. The skin and soft tissues over the infected bone become red and swollen, and fluid may accumulate in nearby joints.

Diagnosis

Ø For skin infections, a doctor's evaluation.

Ø For other infections, culture of blood or infected body fluids.

Ø Staphylococcal skin infections are usually diagnosed based on their appearance.

Ø Other infections require samples of blood or infected fluids, which are sent to a laboratory to grow (culture), identify, and test the bacteria. Laboratory results confirm the diagnosis and determine which antibiotics can kill the staphylococci

Prevention

Ø People can help prevent the spread of these bacteria by always thoroughly washing their hands with soap and water or applying an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Ø Some doctors recommend applying the antibiotic mupirocin inside the nostrils to eliminate staphylococci from the nose. However, because overusing mupirocin can lead to mupirocin resistance, this antibiotic is used only when people are likely to get an infection. For example, it is given to people before certain operations or to people who live in a household in which the skin infection is spreading.

Ø If carriers of staphylococci need to have certain types of surgery, they are often treated with an antibiotic before the surgery.

Ø People with a staphylococcal skin infection should not handle food.

Ø In some health care facilities, people are routinely screened for MRSA when they are admitted. Some facilities screen only people who are at increased of getting an MRSA infection, such as those who are about to have certain operations. Screening involves testing a sample taken from the nose with a cotton swab. If MRSA are detected, people are isolated to prevent spread of the bacteria.

Treatment

Ø Antibiotics

Ø Sometimes surgical removal of infected bone and/or foreign material

Ø Infections due to Staphylococcus aureus are treated with antibiotics. Doctors try to determine whether the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics and, if so, to which antibiotics.

Ø Infection that is acquired in a hospital is treated with antibiotics that are effective against MRSA.

In all cases, always see a doctor to seek medical consent about staph infections or any other medical condition.

Remember, good health and well-being are of utmost importance! Stay healthy!

Love you

xoxo

Mr. Time

There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying ( Sarah Dessen)

                   
                                  Mr. Time


I can fly high,
If only I try.
I can see the dark sky,
Even with the tears in my eyes.

I could cry all night,
As long as when it's day, you would be my light.
It feels like I have got a might,
And I'm glad it's not just in a playwright.
Because together with my Mr. Time, I've got it all right.

I woke up this morning wishing to be by His side,
While he reads me a poem about Time.
I listened to the clock as it tick rocks,
Giving me a rhythm that slowed down my heart beat.
I felt the heat forming liquid on my skin
As I thought of no one else but my Mr.Time.

Yes,  he asked we give it a try,
but I was reluctant because I'm scared this could all be a lie..
A lie that has already fallen my heart in line.

How can I come clean from this?
And be free to accept what I feel,
Believing in my heart that it wouldn't end in pills.

He is my Mr.Time,
If only he knows that,
Then maybe this would be more than a Rhyme.


From Gpland
By Chidera Anneth Chidera

xoxo
Have a great week ahead 

Mind Your Speech

As I go out every morning, I pass through a wall with the words " mind your speech " boldly written on it. In fact, I look forward to seeing those words every morning. Those words act as a gentle reminder that our words really matter.
Crazy things happen everyday. Sometimes you might be at fault. At other times, the other person might be at fault. Sometimes, you might argue and fight , but in the midst of all that, remember to mind your speech. Remember to curb the words you use. This is because a word that has left your mouth, cannot be retrieved. It can't! It's a one way thing. You might try to apologise, but the word has already been said.
In the midst of arguments, you might hear derogatory words and demeaning sentences like;  you'll never amount to anything, I regret the day we met, you're a fool, I hate you and it will never be well with you. These words do not really sound nice. We should try and avoid them please. Our words rather should speak of positivity, comfort, encouragement, love, hope and even provide solutions.
Lastly, broken bones and bruises might heal but the words remain. They kind of have a lasting effect that might some how be internalised in people's heart. Come 2017, I would really love everyone to "mind their speech" . Watch your words . I like the way Bible puts it : My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry ( James 1:19 NIV) .

Have a great Christmas celebration and a fruitful new year in advance and remember to...Mind Your Speech.

Signing out
Gpland

My year : how far and how well?

This has been an interesting year. Someone once said, " growing up is a scam " ** smiles **. This year, I actually got a good feel of what that statement means. Away from school and all the little pecks that comes with being a student, this is indeed a different ball game!  From submitting applications to getting no replies and getting rejections. From submitting proposals and feeling so excited, to getting no replies, it's being an interesting year. From being so hopeful and sure that this might just be it, to becoming so disappointed, 2016 has being an interesting year with so much lessons in it.

For a start, personal development can be so much fun. I read some really good books( some of which include; No Excuses** love this one **, Attitude is Everything,10 day MBA, Good to Great, Rich dad's increase your financial IQ, Think and Grow Rich, The Rules of Management ), that really impacted positively in my life. Personal development can be so much fun trust me [ for next year, you might want to really consider it].


One thing I picked up this year is making progress. This is an important attribute to really achieving success. The best part about progress is that it can be made no matter where you find yourself and no matter the condition you might be. A conscious effort is however required. One way of making progress is investing in personal development. Is there something you always wanted to learn? Why not give it a shot? Is there something you want to get more information on? Common, have a shot at it! No matter how advanced and sophisticated you think you are, there's always something new to learn. There's always an additional layer to be added when it comes to personal development . Listen to messages, invest in books ( finance, sales, management, leadership and other fields that might interest you). You will be surprised at how much you will learn from investing in personal development.

It pays to take out some time to invest in yourself. So come 2017 , you might want to add this to " my to do list ". It works like magic! Remember, after all these and that ...you must take action if you really want to make progress! Personal Development, strife for more. Push for much more and take action!


From Our Story...Your Story and every member of our team, we are wishing you all a great week ahead and Christmas celebration.

Compliments of the season ...much love!

Gpland
xoxo

That essential ingredient : Desire

There's an absolute need for desire and passion and drive if you must succeed! That is one of the other lessons I learnt this year.  

Desire...that hunger, drive and passion for something can be really life changing. Sometimes, money isn't the problem. Lack of a definite purpose and a clear picture of what one wants to achieve can be really disturbing. I have seen several persons with the means to do, still complain about what they want to do. On closer examination, you see that money isn't the issue but a clear purpose of what the person wants is.  

With a desire, comes the drive to make something happen. The mind becomes restless as  the head starts to really move literally and the brain begins to work. This is the defining moment! The mind begins to address " the How ". The mind begins to think of a way to make it happen and to debunk everything that might seem like an obstacle. 

That real hunger pushes one to move. You begin to find the necessary pieces of information and begin to put bits and pieces together. It leads to a forward build up process kind of. With relevant pieces of information at your disposal, the chances of succeeding are not far fetched. Success is really close! 

Without the desire, you live everything to chance! The challenge becomes so huge. You probably freak out and every other thing like making a plan, getting the required pieces of information and generally making progress comes to a halt. This subsequently leads to failing and probably throwing in the towel.  Come 2017, you might want to add this to what you want to achieve. Desire just has to be in the mix alongside a plan and a will to do.

Come 2017, no excuses! Let there be that drive and a willing spirit and body to make things happen. Let's take action!

Wishing you a blissful year ahead.  

Signing out 

Gpland

  

Making a real difference in someone's life

Making a real difference in someone's life can be fulfilling. It really is! It is like a fundamental of human existence. So, what stops us from actually helping another? Money is a right guess I suppose. You probably would have heard something like this "I don't have money, else I would helped. I'm so sorry  or so sorry, I don't have any money blah blah... Yes, money, money, money which can be a valid excuse and we have to find ways round this .

However, helping someone and making a real difference in someone's life doesn't necessarily involve money (at least at first). It must not be money in fact! Sometimes, listening to someone talk and understanding what's going on with the person can be life changing. What might seem so complicated at first might actually become easier with proper understanding and communication. Sometimes, people just need listening ears. Atimes, they need someone to actually help them plan and think it through. Sometimes, people need someone to cheer them up, encourage them and probably give them hope. Sometimes, what people need is a friend, a friend that really cares!  

Back to the money issue. Sometimes, all we need to actually help someone in need is a willing heart. I
heard a true life story that touched me a lot. So, this lady wants to learn a trade. She has the heart and the will but no money to take the next step. She had told several persons about it, but most just listened without any interest of helping. Finally, she told a friend. This particular friend didn't have the money but had the heart to help. The friend had to tell another person with the means and convinced the person to actually help out. Yes, help came finally! 

Now, that is making a real difference  in someone's life. Whenever the friend thinks of how she got to finally acquire her skill, her friend comes to mind. Again, making a real difference in people's life doesn't necessarily have to be money. A willing heart, a kind gesture or even a listening ear can make all the difference. 

Thank God is Friday! Remember to impact positively and make a real difference in someone's life today!   

Happy weekend 

Signing out 

Gpland