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Various Ways in the Prevention of Fatal Fever of Unknown Origin

Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,

Technical Operations, Pubrica

sales@pubrica.com

In brief

Fever is one of the most commonly seen

symptoms in patients. The diagnostic

strategy of patients with Fever is well

established even with the Fever of

unknown origin. Petersdorf and Beeson

initially defined Fever of unknown origin

(pyrexia) in 1961 as body temperature

higher than 38.3oC on several

occasions(Harada et al., 2020),

accompanied by more than three weeks of

illness and failure to reach a diagnosis

after one week of inpatient investigation.

Keywords: Fever, life-threatening, pyrexia,

Medical research

I. INTRODUCTION

In medical service, it remains one of

the most difficult diagnostic challenges. It

may arise due to many reasons, e.g.,

infections,

inflammatory/rheumatic,malignant or

neoplastic invasions, and miscellaneous

disorders, and(RG & Beeson, 1961). It may

also occur in organ transplants and

immunodeficiency disorders.

Contagious Fever is caused by

bacteria, viruses or any other infection.

Majority of the times, Fever of unknown

origin is infectious by nature, followed by

neoplastic and rheumatic causes.The

mortality rate is 12-35% depending upon the

underlying aetiology. Avoiding sources of

infection and maintaining good hygiene

practices are the best way to prevent a

fever(Santana et al., 2019).

It is imperative to limit the spread of life-

threatening Fever of unknown origin. Since

the cause of the Fever is unknown, making

the treatment and management extremely

difficult, taking a few preventive steps can

help prevent the spread of life-threatening

fevers.

II. PERSONAL PREVENTIONS

Make sure vaccinations are up to date.

While travelling, check for additional

vaccinations if required.

Stay inside home.

Hands should be regularly washedwith

soap and water for atleast 20 seconds,

especially after using the washroom,

before eating, and after blowing the nose,

coughing or sneezing, before and after

cooking, after handling animal or animal

wastes.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with

atleast 60% alcohol, post handwash. It

kills viruses that may be on the skin.

Cover oneself when someone sneezes or

coughs while in proximity. It is to avoid

small liquid droplets from the person’s

nose or mouth that may contain a virus.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

Contaminated hands can transfer the

infective agent.

Use personal protective equipment like

face masks, gloves. Dispose of them

immediately after use.

Do not share personal items like

toothbrush, comb or razor blade. Avoid

sharing drinking glasses or dining

utensils.

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Disinfect infection-prone areas in your

house like kitchen and bathroom, as they

harbour high concentrations of bacteria

and infectious agents.

Keep distance. Maintain atleast 1 metre

(3 feet) distance between yourself and

anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Seek medical help early if you get mild

symptoms like Fever, cough, difficult

breathing.

Avoid contact with any biological

material (blood, fluid, etc.) that may be

infective.

Refrain from eating animal-derived

meat/protein. Eat only well-cooked food.

Keep away from pets.

Avoid bug-borne pathogens by using

insect repellant or fumigation regularly.

Keep yourself updated regarding the

information provided by national and

local authorities.

Figure 1. Prevention of Fever of Unknown Origin

III. SOCIETAL PREVENTIONS

People should be quarantined inside

their home by authorities.

Schools and public offices need to close

at the time of transmission.

Avoid face to face meetings, instead

telephonic conversations.

Any Fever should be reported

immediately to the nearest healthcare

centre.

Illegal trade of wild animals and poultry

products need to be banned.

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People travelling from one place to

another should be quarantined

approximately for two weeks in case of

spread of unknown Fever

Travellers urged to refrain from going to

areas where the outbreak of unknown

Fever has occurred.

Medical attention to be sought and share

travel history if required.

IV. MYTH BUSTER

Antibiotics do not work against viruses,

but only bacteria.

Spraying of alcohol or chlorine does not

kill the infective biological agent that

has already entered the human body.

Majority of the vaccine available is not

effective against unknown Fever.

However, vaccines for respiratory illness

should be given.

UV sterilization was not advisable for

hand, as they cause irritation.

Hand dryers are not effective in killing

infective agents.

In Clinical Research, older people with

pre-existing medical conditions are more

vulnerable to contracting the illness.

Garlic has some anti-microbial

properties but does not help prevent

infection-related Fever.

V. CONCLUSION

Overall, public health laws can help

in medical,control the spread of Fever of

unknown origin. Preventive measures like

screening, education, counselling and other

strategies help in minimizing the spread of

Fever. The balance between the public’s

health and private rights of citizens

transparently and ethically should be

maintained to overcome the spread of Fever

of unknown origin(Gostin et al., 2017).

REFERENCES

[1] Gostin, L. O., Magnusson, R. S., Krech, R., Patterson,

D. W., Solomon, S. A., Walton, D., Burci, G. L.,

Cathaoir, K. �, Roache, S. A., & Kieny, M.-P.

(2017). Advancing the Right to Health The Vital

Role of Law. American Journal of Public Health,

107(11), 1755.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC563

7685/

[2] Harada, Y., Masuda, M., Hirosawa, T., Takase, H.,

Morinaga, K., Nin, M., & Shimizu, T. (2020). Safety

and efficacy of outpatient follow-up for referred

patients with undiagnosed fever. Medicine, 99(5),

e18532.

https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000018532

[3] RG, P., & Beeson. (1961). Fever of unexplained origin:

report on 100 cases. Medicine, 40, 1–30.

https://doi.org/10.1097/00005792-196102000-00001

[4] Santana, L. F. e, Rodrigues, M. de S., Silva, M. P. de

A., Brito, R. J. V. C. de, Nicacio, J. M., Duarte, R.

M. S. de C., & Gomes, O. V. (2019). Fever of

unknown origin – a literature review. Revista Da

Associação Médica Brasileira, 65(8), 1109–1115.

https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.65.8.1109