Yay…it’s Friday.
Time to challenge that cerebral cortex and put on those ‘mental’ dancing shoes as we trip the light fantastic of medical trivia, and lift the latch on the cage of the tiger of tease…the Funtabulously, Frivolous Friday Five…
Question 1
- What childhood disease manifests the Comby sign?
- Measles.
- Named after Jules Comby a French Paediatrician, the Comby sign are whitish patches and inflammation seen in the mouth prior to the appearance of Koplik’s spots.
Question 2
- What was reprieved from the death sentence in both 1986 and 1993?
- The smallpox virus.
- Two laboratories still hold stock, and no date has been set again for their destruction. Current WHO policy no longer advocates the destruction of the virus, which is used for research purposes. [Reference]
- The virus is otherwise extinct worldwide (officially eradicated in 1979).
A child with smallpox:
Photo from the CDC --- click on image for source
Question 3
- Children in Ladakh in the Himalayas never seem to get neonatal tetanus. What explanation is given for this?
- High Altitude.
- The effects of high altitude prevents the organism living in the soil
Question 4
- In what climate would you get strophulus?
- In hot climate
- Strophulus is otherwise known as ‘prickly heat‘ rash.
Question 5
-
What is Schreck-Basedow ,and what thyroid abnormality can it trigger in humans?
- A sudden fright
- This can trigger Graves Disease.
…and remember…
…at least you spent your time wisely today…
About Tharsa Thillainadesan
This year there has been a polio outbreak in Tajikistan and a plan to immunise 85 million kids against polio in Africa to stop a year long polio epidemic.
In your polio question are you talking about world wide or only in Australia?
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34464&Cr=polio&Cr1
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/polio_eradication_initiative_20100305/en/index.html
cheers
Robbo
Q2 has been corrected -- just seeing if you were awake!
Chris
Interesting. Not frivolous. Thank you.