Common Infectious Diseases
Health
Bacterial Diseases
There are thousands of infectious diseases, and over 40 kinds commonly occur in the United States. Four infectious diseases caused by bacteria are strep throat, lyme disease, meningitis, and tuberculosis.
Lyme Disease
More than 20,000 people are infected with Lyme disease each year. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a red rash at the site of the tick bite, fever, chills, and body aches. The best way to protect yourself from Lyme disease is to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and tuck your pants into your socks in wooded areas.
Bacterial Meningitis
Bacterial Meningitis is an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid that surronds the brain. Some of the symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, vomiting, and a stiff neck. Bacterial meningitis tends to be more serios than the viral kind. Early treatment of bacterial meningitis is critical to prevent serios illness and death.
Tuberculosis
A highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs is tuberculosis, or TB. It is transmitted when droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze inhaled. Some symptoms are fatigue, weight loss, a mild fever, and a constant cough, may not show up for many years after the initial infection.
Treating Bacterial Diseases
You may be treated with an antibiotic which is a drug that inhibits or kills bacteria. Using antibiotics exactly as they are prescribed is very important to prevent bacteria from developing resistance to the medicine. Antibiotic resistance can result if you don't finish your prescription and some of the bacterial pathogens in your body.