Infectious Disease Research Paper
Infectious diseases remain a public health concern. These diseases afflict millions of people globally. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi are the most commonly implicated causal factors for most contentious infectious diseases. This paper focuses on syphilis.
Syphilis
Syphilis is one of the contemporary infectious diseases that continues to cause pain and suffering to many people globally. This disease is a systemic infection caused by Treponema pallidum. Treponema pallidum is a spirochetal bacteria whose only hosts are humans. This disease is transmitted via any form of sexual contact and rarely via nonsexual contact through skin-to-skin transmission, blood transfer, and vertical transmission.
At the primary stage, this disease often manifests as a firm, painless chancre at entry. These chancres often appear within three months of contact and disappear between three to six weeks. At the secondary stage, rashes and itchiness may be apparent in the palms and soles of the feet or any other body part (Tudor et al., 2022). Late-stage syphilis often presents with aortic valvulopathy or aneurysm, seizures, hemiplegia, meningitis, and stroke. Congenital syphilis presents with saddle nose, morbilliform rash, rhinitis, and bowing of the tibia.
Antibacterial therapy with antibiotics maintains effectiveness against syphilis at any stage. A STAT dose of 2.4 million units of benzathine penicillin G administered IM is effective against the disease’s primary, secondary, and early latent stages. In penicillin allergy or unsuitability, PO doxycycline 100mg 12 hourly for 14 days is effective against primary and secondary phases. Another alternative is Ceftriaxone, one to two grams IM or IV for 10 to 14 days. In late-stage syphilis, 2.4 million units of IM Benzathine penicillin G are administered weekly for at least three weeks. Doxycycline 100mg every 12 hours for 28 days is an alternative regimen (Tiecco et al., 2021). In the case of neurosyphilis, IM Pen G aqueous is administered in daily doses of 18-24 million units for 10-14 days.
Cardiovascular and neuronal complications may be apparent in the late stage of the disease. Cardiovascular complications include aortic aneurysms and valvulopathy. Neuronal complications include meningitis and cerebrovascular accidents (Tiecco et al., 2021). Jarisch Herxheimer Reaction sometimes develops after antibiotic therapy. This is often due to an inflammatory cytokine response to the dying spirochetes.
The CDC report reveals that over 133,000 cases of all-stage syphilis were reported in 2020. The prevalence was higher in males than females. The disease is more common among men who have sex with other men (MSMs), bisexuals, and gays. The prevalence of the disease was highest among men aged between 20 and 29 and among Blacks and Indian/Alaskan natives. MSMs and bisexuals are still considered to be at higher risk for all-stage syphilis infections. The mortality rate of syphilis remains low in the U.S. In 2020 alone, only 149 deaths were reported from congenital syphilis (CDC, 2022). Regardless of the stage of the disease, management is still optimal, as registered deaths are still rare.
Determinants of Health
The determinants of health concerning syphilis include early detection of the disease, aggressive treatment, and prevention of the disease. Healthy People 2020 recommends or advocates for the use of condoms as a preventive measure for the disease. It also recommends Screening and early disease detection (“The Healthy People 2020”, 2022).”Screening enables early”detection of the disease in communities and is a health promotion tool in the comprehensive management of syphilis.
Epidemiological Triad of Syphilis
The epidemiological triad has three components: a disease-causing agent, a susceptible host, and the environment.
Agent Factors
Syphilis is a venereal systemic disease caused by Treponema pallidum bacteria. Treponema pallidum is virulent and immunogenic. It provokes an immune response with humoral and cell-mediated responses seen early in the disease. This bacteria can survive in the host cells despite these responses for many years. It causes organ damage in its late stages.
Host Factors
Treponema pallidum has a non-animal reservoir, and humans are its only hosts. This bacteria is transmitted from one person to another via sexual contact and nonsexual contact through inoculation and vertical transmission. Having unprotected sex with an infected person increases the risk of developing the disease. Inoculation transfer through blood transfusion and needle sharing among drug and substance abusers is another form of transmission.
Environmental Factors
Several socioeconomic factors are implicated in the spread of the disease. A lower incidence of reporting seen among some ethnic minority groups perpetuates the disease by hindering its address and treatment. Poverty impedes access to healthcare and may hinder early detection of the disease. Sociocultural influences on communities may affect their health-seeking behavior, making them less available for community promotion programs on the disease. Social pressure and negative perceptions of the disease among communities may also lower the incidence of reporting for the disease.
Role of the NP
Nurses play a role in the fight against syphilis and other infectious diseases. They educate the patients on the preventive measures against these diseases, screen for syphilis in communities and at the point of care, and provide treatment for the affected individuals. Their advocacy role can help minimize the impact of stigma in the community, thereby increasing reporting incidences. The American Nursing Association reinforces the role of nurses in preventive care for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It recommends that nurse practitioners educate their patients on the disease to lessen the stigma associated with these diseases and on preventive measures for these diseases, such as the use of condoms.
Nurses play a role in the comprehensive management of syphilis and other STDs. As per the provisions of the professional practice model of nursing, nurse practitioners should communicate, collaborate, and develop professionally to provide comprehensive care to their patients. In this regard, nurse practitioners should work collaboratively in providing comprehensive care to patients with STDs and community members at risk for the disease. Nurses can be involved in STD surveillance to inform control efforts and develop preventive strategies. Nurses, being front liners in care provisions, can also be interested in collecting data on the incidence of syphilis. They can also analyze epidemiological data on syphilis and use it to inform care interventions such as prevention. Nurses can also follow up on patients with these diseases undergoing treatment to ensure that they adhere to their medication to completion. The professional practice model emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach in nursing care. Nursing collaborations provide optimal care provision and guarantee better clinical outcomes. Thus, nurses should adopt this model in comprehensive STD management.
Conclusion
Syphilis remains a health concern to the American health system. Nurses, the frontline of care provision, play an essential role in its management. Nursing’s role in comprehensive STD care includes nursing patient education, providing sensitive care, and patient surveillance. Nurses must work collaboratively per the provisions of the professional practice model of nursing to excel in these functionalities.
References
CDC. (2022). National Overview of STDs, 2020. CDC.gov. Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2020/overview.htm.
The Healthy People 2020| Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Healthypeople.gov. (2022). Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-resources/evidence-based-resource/sexually-transmitted-infections-behavioral-counseling.
Tiecco, G., Degli Antoni, M., Storti, S., Marchese, V., Focà, E., & Torti, C. et al. (2021). A 2021 Update on Syphilis: Taking Stock from Pathogenesis to Vaccines. Pathogens, 10(11), 1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10111364
Tudor, M., Aboud, A., & Gossman, W. (2022). Syphilis. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534780/.
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Question 
InWe’llous Disease Research Paper
Choose a topic from the list provided to you by your course faculty. Apply the concepts of population health and epidemiology to the topic.
*********Syphilis********** my topic
Synthesize Course content from Weeks 1-5 according to the following sections:
Introduction: Analysis of the infectious disease (causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, complications, treatment) to include demographic breakdown that includes age, gender, race, or other at-risk indicators (data per demographics should consist of mortality, morbidity, incidence, and prevalence).
Determinants of Health: Define, identify, and synthesize the determinants of health related to the infection’s development. Utilize HP2020.
Epidemiinfection’s syndrome: Identify and describe all elements of the epidemiological triad: Host, agent factors (presence or absence), and environmental factors. Utilize the demographic breakdown to explain the triad further.
Role of the NP: Succinctly define the role of the nurse practitioner according to a national nurse practitioner organization ( National Board of Nursing or AANP, for example) and synthesize the role in the management of infectious diseases (surveillance, primary/secondary/tertiary interventions, reporting, data collecting, data analysis, and follow-up). This includes the integration of a model of practice which supports the implementation of evidence-based practice. Refer to your course textbook for models of practice examples.