International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on 31 August each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose. […]
Opiate is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain. All opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and […]
What is Wet Brain? “Wet brain” is a term used to describe the chronic brain disorder, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis. Wet brain is caused by Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency and typically occurs among people suffering from alcohol addiction. Wet brain from alcohol damages the lower parts of the brain known as the thalamus and […]
What is Sexual Abuse? Sexual abuse is defined as any unwanted sexual behavior by a perpetrator who threatens, uses physical force against, or does not receive consent from a person. Anyone can be a victim of sexual abuse regardless of gender, age, or race. Anyone can also be an abuser regardless of these same factors. […]
What is Postinor-2 used for? Postinor-2 is an emergency contraceptive only. Postinor-2 is not intended as a regular method of contraception. It is used to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. It is estimated that Postinor-2 will prevent 85% of expected pregnancies. 95% of expected pregnancies will be prevented if taken […]
Rabies is a viral infection spread via saliva through the bite of a rabid animal; it is caused by the virus neurotropic lyssavirus. It is an acute, central nervous system infection, characterized by central nervous system irritation, followed by paralysis and death. Rabies is more prevalent in the developing world than in industrialized countries. Approximately […]
What is leprosy? Leprosy is a disease mainly caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, which causes damage to the skin and the peripheral nervous system. The disease develops slowly (from six months to 40 years) and results in skin lesions and deformities, most often affecting the cooler places on the body (for example, eyes, nose, […]
Guinea Worm Disease (also known as Dracunculiasis) is a parasitic infection caused by a long thread-like worm, Dracunculiasis medinensis. The worm is about 1-2 millimeters wide; the female worm measures about 60 to 100 centimeters, with the adult male worm being a few centimeters shorter. The disease has been in existence since ancient times. The […]
Ebola virus disease (EVD) also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is a severe disease of humans and other primates caused by an RNA virus of the family Filoviridae and genus Ebola virus. The disease has a high fatality rate killing between 25%-90% of those infected. Research conducted in 2005 suggested fruit bats to be […]
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae; a gram negative rod-shaped bacterium. It is a potentially life-threatening, primarily waterborne disease. There are many serogroups of V. cholerae, but only two (O1 and O139) cause outbreaks. There have been seven pandemics of cholera worldwide, the last of which began in Indonesia in 1961, […]
