College of Charleston | Student Health Services

Current Health Topics

What is TB?:
TB, or tuberculosis, is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can attack any part of your body, but they usually attack the lungs. TB disease was once the leading cause of death in the United States. For more information visit Questions and Answers About TB.

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Outbreak:
An outbreak of avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, is affecting bird populations in countries throughout Asia. The outbreak is caused by the H5N1 subtype of influenza A. Human cases also have been reported.

Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School:
The main way that illnesses like colds and flu are spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This is called "droplet spread." How to Stop the Spread of Germs

Information about Influenza A H7 Viruses:
Influenza type A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus. These proteins are called hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). There are 15 different HA subtypes and 9 different NA subtypes. The viruses are named according to their surface proteins. For example, an “H7N2 virus” designates an influenza A subtype that has a hemagglutinin 7 protein and a neuraminidase 2 protein. Wild birds are the natural host to all subtypes of influenza A viruses.

West Nile Virus:
West Nile Virus is a viral disease spread by bite of an infected mosquito which can affects many types of birds, horses, and some other animals. The time between the mosquito bite and a person becoming sick is usually 5 to 15 days. Anyone can get West Nile Virus if the virus is in the mosquitoes in the area, but persons over 50 years of age are most likely to get encephalitis. There is no vaccine to prevent the disease and there are no drugs to treat the disease.West Nile virus is NOT passed from person to person. In other words, you cannot get sick from touching or kissing a person who has West Nile Virus, or from a health care worker who has treated someone with the disease. No one has caught the virus from handling live or dead birds with the virus. However, avoid picking up any dead animal with your bare hands. Use gloves or double plastic bags to get rid of the dead animal.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS):
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained. This fact sheet gives basic information about the illness and what CDC has done to control SARS in the United States. To find out more about SARS, go to CDC's SARS website and WHO's SARS website.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE):
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unconventional transmissible agent. Through the end of November 2003, more than 183,000 cases of BSE were confirmed in the United Kingdom alone in more than 35,000 herds. Regularly updated numbers of reported BSE cases, by country, are available on the website of the Office International Des Epizooties at: http://www.oie.int/eng/info/en_esb.htm.