Lanterna Rally

Author: David T. Dennis

Publisher:

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 9789241597593

A complete practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of human plague and to preventive measures aimed at controlling rodent reservoirs and flea vectors. Written by leading experts on this disease, the manual draws on extensive WHO experience in vector control and in the surveillance of plague as a notifiable disease under the International Health Regulations. Details range from advice on the exact procedures to follow during outbreaks of human disease, through a list of reasons why flea indices must be reduced before control of rodent reservoirs is undertaken, to instructions for the rapid and cheap construction of bait boxes. Over 300 references to the literature are included. The manual has seven chapters. The epidemiology and distribution of plague are covered in the first, which summarizes current knowledge about Yersinia pestis and its modes of transmission, assesses country-specific trends in morbidity and mortality over the past four decades, and analyzes the characteristics of active plague foci in different geographical areas. Chapter two covers the clinical manifestations of different forms of plague and offers guidelines for diagnosis on the basis of signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, and laboratory diagnosis. Chapter three, on treatment, gives precise instructions for immediate antimicrobial therapy with first-choice drugs. Guidelines are also provided for supportive management of complications, prophylactic therapy, and hospital precautions. Chapter four describes the species of rodents and flea vectors found in each geographical region or country known to have endemic foci. The fifth and most extensive chapter provides guidelines for the control of plague transmission, emphasizing the different measures needed for flea control on commensal and wild rodents. The chapter gives especially detailed advice on the characteristics of a large number of first- and second-generation anticoagulants and acute rodenticides classified as extremely hazardous, moderately hazardous, or minimally hazardous to humans and non-target animals. Compounds not recommended by WHO are clearly indicated. Noting that plague continues to pose a threat to human health in the many areas where natural foci persist, chapter six explains how to set up a surveillance system that collects, analyzes, and interprets clinical, epidemiological, and epizootiological data. Recommended techniques for the surveillance of rodent and vector populations are covered in detail. The final chapter summarizes a four-phased system of plague prevention and control, recommended by WHO, that can be adapted to the requirements and resources of different countries.