Category: Public Health Blog

Infographics are important tools for clearly and simply explaining complex topics to the public using visual aids. Infographics are especially important for public health purposes to allow patients to be educated about illnesses, diseases and other health care topics. Using infographics also allows people to understand how a disease may be spread, treated and prevented.

Infographics pertaining to public health are often spread through print or digital media. In a study conducted by Professor David Steensma from Harvard Medical School, he found that using infographics on a one to one scale with a patient with a certain syndrome helped the patients understand their diagnosis and outcomes better due to the visual aids provided in the infographic (McCrorie et al., 2016). Images and symbols in the infographics could also be helpful to overcome language barriers if the infographic is displayed in one language. For these reasons, relevant infographics, created by the CDC and public health officials, should continue to be used and spread in the media and displayed in public areas, such as medical clinics and schools.

For this blog project, I created infographics by repurposing an infographic project from my Introduction to Epidemiology (PUB-205) class and used previous work from my One Health (BIO-445) to create new infographics on Canva. 

Citations:

McCrorie, A. D., Donnelly, C., & McGlade, K. J. (2016). Infographics: Healthcare Communication for the Digital Age. The Ulster medical journal, 85(2), 71–75.

Steensma D. P. (2016). Graphical representation of clinical outcomes for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Leukemia & lymphoma, 57(1), 17–20. https://doi.org/10.3109/10428194.2015.1061191

WHO Infographic on Zika Virus prevention methods https://apps.who.int/mediacentre/news/ statements/2016/zikainfosocialmedia.jpg?ua=1

Intended Audience

Zika Virus is an endemic disease in some parts of the world, primarily spreading in tropical and subtropical regions. Displaying this infographic in a visible spot inside outpatient rooms, especially at the travel clinic, for example, could help educate patients about the risks of the Zika virus and how to stay safe if they are traveling to certain areas. The intended audience of this infographic is people 12 and older since it is simple and easy to understand and for those traveling to areas where Zika may be spreading. Public health officials could also reach the intended audience by sharing the infographic on their social media pages and advertising to those traveling to countries where there are current outbreaks.

Zika Virus Spread

Zika Virus is spread by the bite of a mosquito, specifically from an infected Aedes species mosquito. It could also be spread if a person has had intercourse with another person infected with Zika, even if they haven’t experienced any symptoms. Aedes species mosquitos lay eggs in or near standing water and bite people during the day and night (CDC, 2019). The infection persists in mosquitos when they bite an infected human during the first week of the human’s infection.

As mentioned in the infographic, if a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, then the developing fetus may develop birth defects. They are advised to avoid traveling to certain areas where there are active Zika outbreaks. Microcephaly, incomplete brain development, is an example of a birth defect that may occur (CDC, 2019). If you have traveled to an area where there is an outbreak or a high risk of contracting the Zika virus and have experienced symptoms, you should get tested for it. Testing should occur while the symptoms are still present (Musso and Gubler, 2016).

Notes from Epidemiology (PUB-205) on Zika Virus

Symptoms

A few of the symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash, headache, and joint pain. These symptoms are very similar to other illnesses and are not specific to Zika, which may lead to misdiagnosis. The symptoms could last for a few days to a week (CDC, 2019). To help prevent Zika infection, one could wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, use EPA-registered insect repellent and stay in places with air conditioning or window and door screens. Additionally, pregnant women should avoid traveling to areas where current outbreaks are using the CDC’s Zika travel map (CDC, 2022).

Treatment

Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for Zika virus infections. It is recommended to take acetaminophen for fever and pain, antihistamines for rashes, and drink plenty of fluids (Musso and Gubler, 2016). This infographic would be beneficial to display at the travel clinic or in other clinical settings.

Citations:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). General Zika Information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/zika/general-information.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022).  Zika Travel Information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Zika Virus: Symptoms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/symptoms.html

Musso, D., & Gubler, D. J. (2016). Zika Virus. Clinical microbiology reviews, 29(3), 487–524. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00072-15

Diagram of the life cycle of T. gondii – displays how intermediate hosts (mammals and birds) contain tachyzoites, which are cells that could grow and replicate fast, and could turn into bradyzoits, causing the disease to persist (English and Sttiepen, 2019)

INTENDED AUDIENCE

It is very important to educate the public about the disease, toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is considered to be one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the United States today and is one of the most neglected parasitic infections in the United States (CDC, 2018). Displaying information about toxoplasmosis, in the form of infographics, in supermarkets, or where places where raw meat is sold, would be beneficial. Having this information in a visible area would be helpful to educate people about the importance of cooking their meat properly. Infographics could also be displayed in safety courses for hunters since animals, such as deer,  also contain T. gondii (Schumacher et al., 2019). 

Additionally, it could be placed in veterinarian clinics or feline adoption centers to educate new feline owners about how they may contract toxoplasmosis  by accidental ingestion after cleaning their litter box or touching anything that has come into contact with the feces (CDC, 2018).

How It’s Spread

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, and it is found on all continents. The parasite is known to infect many homeotherms through ingestion, and members of the Felidae family serve as definitive hosts.

It could be transmitted through the fecal-oral route if the ingested food or water is contaminated with sporulated oocytes from feline feces. Humans could also come into contact with it when changing cat litter or if they consume undercooked or uncooked meat. A mother could also pass the infection to their unborn child if the mother was newly infected with toxoplasmosis just before pregnancy (CDC, 2018). Additionally, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables that could have been contaminated during the production process could result in infection.

symptoms

If an immunocompetent host is infected then they would typically be asymptomatic, but in rare cases, they may experience headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, fever, and chills. However, immunocompromised hosts may experience flu or mononucleosis-like symptoms, severe encephalitis, pneumonitis, or even coma or death. It is important for the general public to learn about toxoplasmosis and how it could spread. It is also considered a One Health disease because it affects humans, animals, and the environment and is a zoonotic disease. Spreading awareness about toxoplasmosis and the ways that one could be infected is important to reduce the chance of being infected.

Treatment

Currently, there is no vaccine for preventing toxoplasmosis, but certain antibiotics could be used to treat it. Those who are immunocompetent may not experience any symptoms but could take over-the-counter medications like Tylenol or Ibuprofen if needed. Affected pregnant women could take an antibiotic called spiramycin if it hasn’t affected the fetus. If the fetus contracted the disease in vitro, it could be treated with the antibiotic pyrimethamine or sulfonamides (Breecher, M. M., Catalado, L. J. 2020).

Citations:

Breecher, M. M., & Cataldo, L. J. (2020). Toxoplasmosis. In J. L. Longe (Ed.), Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (6th ed.). Gale. Credo Reference: https://une.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galegm/toxoplasmosis/0

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Parasites- Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma infection). Epidemiology & Risk Factors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/epi.html#mom

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Parasites- Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma infection). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/index.html

English E.D., Striepen B. (2019). The cat is out of the bag: How parasites know their hosts. PLOS Biology 17; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000446

Melchor, S. J., & Ewald, S. E. (2019). Disease Tolerance in Toxoplasma Infection. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00185

Pinto-Ferreira, F., Caldart, E. T., Pasquali, A. K. S., Mitsuka-Breganó, R., Freire, R. L., & Navarro, I. T. (2019). Patterns of Transmission and Sources of Infection in Outbreaks of Human Toxoplasmosis. Wwwnc.cdc.gov, 25(12). https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2512.181565

Schumacher, A. C., Elbadawi, L. I., DeSalvo, T., Straily, A., Ajzenberg, D., Letzer, D., Moldenhauer, E., Handly, T. L., Hill, D., Dardé, M.-L., Pomares, C., Passebosc-Faure, K., Bisgard, K., Gomez, C. A., Press, C., Smiley, S., Montoya, J. G., & Kazmierczak, J. J. (2020). Corrigendum to: Toxoplasmosis Outbreak Associated With Toxoplasma gondii-Contaminated Venison—High Attack Rate, Unusual Clinical Presentation, and Atypical Genotype. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 72(9), 1557-1565.  https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab798