Musie Seyoum

I had the opportunity to speak to Bryce Johnstun, a Respiratory care/Clinical coordinator of the Utah Valley hospital. We discussed many public health care trends, of those I recorded notes on Whooping cough, women with heart disease, influenza (the flu), and the Hanta virus. All of these have been constant growing issues throughout Utah.

            The first trend that we discussed was the Whooping cough epidemic. This infection of the respiratory system has been very detrimental to infants below the age of six months, as well as its gear towards early teenagers throughout all of Utah. Mothers that have these infants are refusing to take their kids out of their homes, until they surpass the age of 4 months to develop some sort of immunity.

            Women are developing heart disease all throughout Utah as well. Women are exercising to prevent clogged valves and are dieting and eating healthier to put themselves in a better position to not be on the receiving end of any of these diseases that are heart affiliated. Awareness acts as such a substantial beneficiary factor in fighting against it, however many people who maintain healthy lifestyles are facing the genetically predispositions of heart disease. The only way to control the disease at that point is to take the proper medication, and to draw the awareness approach towards medication along with a healthier lifestyle.

            Influenza (the flu) issues are also on the rise. He told me about the great level of difficulty it is to prevent this in our daily lives, specifically for children and for the citizens that are constantly interacting with people each day. Taking precautions such as washing your hands frequently throughout the day is beneficial.

            The Hanta virus was an extremely interesting trend that has occurred most recently in more rural areas. The hanta virus is virus that is created through the dust that is associated with rodent excretion. Many people are having issues with subconsciously inhaling the dust from cleaning out areas that have rodents, like garages and sheds.

            The last trend that Bryce Johnstun spoke to me about was the West Nile Virus in Utah. In areas where there is sitting, stagnant water, mosquitoes are drawing themselves near these more humidified areas. This issue is present in the spring and summer seasons.

 People are getting vaccinated, and pets are also being vaccinated.