“The primary goal of treatment for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is to reduce inflammation. Your gastroenterologist will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan that addresses inflammation, helps manage symptoms and reduces flare-ups.

Treatment plans will vary based on your specific condition and the severity of inflammation and symptoms. Generally, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis are managed with a combination of medication and diet and lifestyle modification. In some cases, when a nonsurgical approach fails to address your condition, your gastroenterologist may recommend surgery.”

Temple Health (https://www.templehealth.org/services/conditions/crohns-disease-versus-ulcerative-colitis)

“Known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system, causing symptoms including abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, and weight loss.

“Soap and water is necessary for effective hand-washing. Most commercially available soaps will work fairly well. The basic chemical structure of soap is what accounts for its effectiveness, so adding things like nice smells or color isn’t going to make you any cleaner. Neither is antibacterial soap, which the FDA recommended against using in 2016. So when it comes to hand-washing, use ordinary soap, and use it well. Most of the effectiveness of this revolutionary practice comes from your own good habits and diligence.  If you’ve ever wondered how to wash your hands properly, a quick rinse does not get rid of germs as effectively as a long, thorough scrub for 20 seconds. So how long should you wash your hands? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hand hygiene guidelines note you should scrub for at least 20 seconds, or about twice as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” to yourself.”

(https://www.joyce.edu/blog/national-handwashing-awareness-week/#handhygiene)

“Following Hand Awareness and continuously keeping the hands clean you will be in virtual isolation regardless of the people around you. Direct contamination (inoculation) of your mucus membranes (eyes,
nose or mouth) is the most common way infectious disease enters your body. Let’s work together to minimize the fear factor of infectious disease pandemics or seasonal.  It would help in prevention of many infectious diseases that could help in the prevention with handwashing!”

Henry the Hand Foundation by Dr. Will Sawyer-Infection Disease Expert (https://henrythehand.com/news-events/national-handwashing-awareness-week/)

“When HIV is left untreated, it can wreak havoc on a person’s immune system. As this happens, the body is less able to fight off infections. AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome,” which means the immune system has been made less effective by HIV. When this happens, a person is considered to have an acquired immune deficiency or AIDS.

It’s important to note that you cannot have AIDS without being infected with HIV. But people can, and do, live long lives (on treatment) with HIV and never develop AIDS.
Once you have HIV, the virus stays in your body for life. There’s no cure for HIV, but medicines can help you stay healthy.”

AHF (https://hivcare.org/hiv-basics/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItumtgbjZ-wIVunRvBB1fpwL2EAAYASAAEgIslfD_BwE)

“HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed 40.1 million [33.6–48.6 million] lives so far.  In n 2021, 650 000 [510 000–860 000] people died from HIV-related causes and 1.5 million [1.1–2.0 million] people acquired HIV.  There is no cure for HIV infection. However, with increasing access to effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.  There were an estimated 38.4 million [33.9–43.8 million] people living with HIV at the end of 2021, two thirds of whom (25.6 million) are in the WHO African Region.”

World Health Organization-WHO

“Anyone can get monkeypox. In Africa, most cases are among children under 15 years old. Outside of Africa, the disease appears to be more common in men who have sex with men, but there are numerous cases in people who don’t fall into that category.

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two weeks to four weeks. Most people with monkeypox get better on their own without treatment. Following diagnosis, your healthcare provider will monitor your condition and try to relieve your symptoms, prevent dehydration and give you antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections if they develop.

There’s currently not an approved antiviral treatment for monkeypox. Antiviral drugs may help, but they haven’t been studied as a treatment for monkeypox. Several investigational antivirals with activity against monkeypox are available, but only as part of a research study.”

Cleveland Clinic (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22371-monkeypox)

“The Schnitzler syndrome is a rare and underdiagnosed entity which is considered today as being a paradigm of an acquired/late onset auto-inflammatory disease. It associates a chronic urticarial skin rash, corresponding from the clinico-pathological viewpoint to a neutrophilic urticarial dermatosis, a monoclonal IgM component and at least 2 of the following signs: fever, joint and/or bone pain, enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and/or liver, increased ESR, increased neutrophil count, abnormal bone imaging findings. It is a chronic disease with only one known case of spontaneous remission. Except of the severe alteration of quality of life related mainly to the rash, fever and pain, complications include severe inflammatory anemia and AA amyloidosis. About 20% of patients will develop a lymphoproliferative disorder, mainly Waldenström disease and lymphoma, a percentage close to other patients with IgM MGUS. It was exceedingly difficult to treat patients with this syndrome until the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra became available. ”

National Library of Medicine-NIH  (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018454/)

Schnitzler syndrome is considered to be a rare disorder characterized by a monoclonal IgM protein and chronic urticaria that is associated with considerable morbidity. We hypothesized that the syndrome may be under-recognized and patients may be deprived of highly effective therapy in the form of anakinra (an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist=inhibits interleukin 1).  This treatment controls the condition but does not cure it. Around 15% of people develop complications, but the condition generally does not shorten life

Schnitzler is a rare disease characterised by onset around middle age of chronic hives (urticaria) and periodic fever, bone pain and joint pain (sometimes with joint inflammation), weight loss, malaise, fatigue, swollen lymph glands and enlarged spleen and liver.

How its Diagnosed:

–Blood tests show a high concentration of specific gamma-globulins (monoclonal gammopathy) of the IgM type. It almost always has light chains of the κ-type. A variant in which IgG is raised has been described, which appears to be one-tenth as common.

–CBC, this could show signs of inflammation are often present: these include an increased white blood cell count (leukocytosis) and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate=we would see this in what we call a simple Complete Blood Count(CBC) and C-reactive protein blood test.

-There can be anemia of chronic disease showing low red blood count again in a simple CBC.

-Bone abnormalities can be seen on radiological imaging (often increased density or osteosclerosis)

-Biopsy

-What we call the Lipsker criteria require hives, the presence of monoclonal IgM, and at least 2 of the following: fever, joint pain or arthritis, bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged spleen or liver, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high levels of white blood cells, and findings of problems in bone imaging.

-What we call the Strasbourg criteria, the person must have hives and the presence of monoclonal IgM or IgG. Schnitzler’s is diagnosed if the person has IgM and two of the following, or IgG and three of the following: recurrent fevers, abnormalities in bone imaging, with or without bone pain, findings of neutrophil infiltration in a skin biopsy, high levels of white blood cells or C-reactive protein.

Other conditions which can cause periodic fevers, paraproteins or chronic hives that should be ruled out, include (and are not limited to) autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders such as adult-onset Still’s disease, angioedema, hematological disorders such as lymphoma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), other causes of hives, cryoglobulinemia, mastocytosis, chronic neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease or Muckle–Wells syndrome.

Treatment:

As of 2017 no drug was approved to treat Schnitzlers. Drugs that inhibit interleukin 1 activity have been the preferred treatment since they emerged in 2005; since 2012 a consensus guideline has recommended treatment with anakinra. Immunosuppressant drugs such as corticosteroids, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, interferon alpha may be effective.

“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to humans, animals, plants and the environment. It affects us all. This is why this year’s theme calls for collaboration across sectors to preserve the efficacy of these critical medicines. Fighting AMR is a truly global endeavour and must be addressed through a One Health approach.

To curb it effectively, all sectors must join forces and encourage the prudent use of antimicrobials, as well as preventive measures. Strengthening infection prevention and control in health care facilities, farms and food industry premises, ensuring access to vaccines, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, implementing best practices in food and agriculture production, and guaranteeing the sound management of waste and wastewater from key sectors are critical to reducing the need for antimicrobials and minimizing the emergence and transmission of AMR.”

UN environment programme (https://www.unep.org/events/unep-event/world-antimicrobial-awareness-week-2022)