Just about any part of the human body can become infected. We are all familiar
with colds and other respiratory infections, gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections,
but less common infections in other tissues such as bone, the valves and
interior of the heart (endocarditis), and the brain also occur.

Every year, about 5% to 20% of U.S. residents acquire an influenza virus that infects
the nose, throat, and lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million and 45 million
illnesses, between 140,000 and 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 and
61,000 deaths annually since 2010.

The virus that causes the COVID-19 disease is
SARS-CoV-2, and like the influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2 is spread mainly between
persons in households and public settings by the droplets made when infected people
cough, sneeze or talk. Many people with influenza are hospitalized each year
with complications such as bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections,
dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart
failure, asthma, or diabetes.

The WHO estimates that worldwide there are a million new sexually transmitted infections
(STIs) every day. The CDC estimates that there are nearly 20 million new
sexually transmitted infections every year in the U.S., with half occurring among
young people ages 15 to 24

Skin infections are very common and can be caused by a wide variety of agents.
Among them are:
• Bacterial: cellulitis and impetigo, often caused by Staphylococcus
• Viral: shingles, warts, and herpes simplex
• Fungal: athlete’s foot and yeast infections
• Parasitic: body lice, head lice, and scabies

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), mainly those acquired in hospitals, are a
serious infectious disease problem. A CDC survey estimated that on any given
day, 3.2% of hospital patients have at least one healthcare-associated infection.14
The study made a rough estimate that there were 687,200 HAIs in U.S. acute care
hospitals in 2015. Common infections were pneumonia and ventilator-associated
pneumonia, gastrointestinal illness, urinary tract infections often associated with
catheters, bloodstream infections, and surgical site infections from inpatient surgery.
A previous similar study in 2011 estimated that about 75,000 hospital patients
with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.

This blog presents opinions and ideas and is intended to provide helpful general information. I am not engaged in rendering advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures and suggestions in that are presented are not in any way a substitute for the advice and care of the reader’s own physician or other medical professional based on the reader’s own individual conditions, symptoms or concerns. If the reader needs personal medical, health, dietary, exercise or other assistance or advice the reader should consult a physician and/or other qualified health professionals. The author specifically disclaims all responsibility for any injury, damage or loss that the reader may incur as a direct or indirect consequence of following any directions or suggestions given in this blog or participating in any programs described in this blog or in the book, The Building Blocks of Health––How to Optimize Your Health with a Lifestyle Checklist (available in print or downloaded at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble and elsewhere). Copyright 2021 by J. Joseph Speidel.