The Nightmare Scenario (46 page)
Read The Nightmare Scenario Online
Authors: Gunnar Duvstig
Medical Terminology
| A/Singapore/ 4/2015/ (H1N1) | Official labeling of new influenza strains, describing in order of position the type (A being most common for humans), the lab where the virus was first isolated, an enumeration of isolates at the lab during the year, the year of discovery and the subtype of the virus |
| Adenovirus | Virus causing multitude of infections, e.g., conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, gastroenteritis |
| Alprazolam | Fast onset benzodiazepine. Most commonly sold under the brand name Xanax |
| Amantadine | Anti-viral drug to which the regular seasonal influenza has developed resistance |
| Amoxicillin | Moderate-spectrum antibiotic used to treat a bacterial infections |
| Analgesics | Painkiller |
| Arginine | Positively charged amino acid |
| Asphyxiation | Death through lack of oxygen |
| ARDS | Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome |
| Babesiosis | Rare malaria-like parasitic disease with all documented cases in temperate zones north of the equator |
| Benzodiazepines | Psychoactive drug that has sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant properties. Valium is the most common brand name |
| Beta-blockers | Class of drugs that reduce stress by binding to the receptors of adrenalin |
| Bronchi` | Passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs |
| BSL | Bio Safety Lab. Comes in four levels of security with 1 being the lowest and 4 the highest |
| CBC | Complete Blood Count. Test which gives information about the cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) in a patient’s blood |
| Cerebrospinal fluid | Clear fluid around and inside the brain and the spinal cord |
| Chromatogram | Laboratory technique for separation of mixtures in a sample |
| Clindamycin | Antibiotic used to treat infections with anaerobic bacteria |
| Congo-Crimean fever | Widespread tick-borne hemorrhagic fever with a 30% mortality rate |
| Conjunctivitis | An inflammation of the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid |
| Coronavirus | A group of viruses affecting the respiratory tract encompassing, for instance, both SARS and the common cold |
| Cyanosis | The appearance of a blue or purple coloration of the skin or mucous membranes due to the tissues near the skin surface being low on oxygen |
| Cytokine storms | A potentially fatal immune reaction consisting of a positive feedback loop between cytokines and immune cells, resulting in an uncontrolled activation of too many immune cells |
| Emphysema | A lung disease defined by persistently poor airflow as a result of breakdown of lung tissue, typically caused by smoking |
| Encephalitis | A potentially lethal inflammation of the brain which represents by fever, confusion or worse, seizures or convulsions |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | A variant of encephalitis that leaves the victims speech and motionless |
| Hemagglutinin | A part of the Influenza genome (the ‘H’ part). Its purpose is to bind the virus to the cell being infected |
| Hypercytokinemia | A potentially fatal immune reaction consisting of a positive feedback loop between cytokines and immune cells, resulting in an uncontrolled activation of too many immune cells |
| HEPA respirator | High-Efficiency Particular Air filter. Removes 99.97% of all particles greater than 0.3 micrometers. The filter is sufficient to prevent the passage of viruses through the filter |
| Lymphocyte levels | The amount of a type of white blood cell levels that are present in the spinal column |
| Melatonin | A hormone that serves to control the circadian rhythm. Intake can serve to reset the body’s perception of time and is hence a common remedy for jetlag. |
| Meningitis | An inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is a potentially lethal conditions with symptoms similar to encephalitis |
| Naphazoline hydrochloride | Drug for reducing redness of eyes, also referred to as Cleareyes, its most common brand name |
| Oseltamivir | An antiviral drug, which may slow the spread of influenza for certain strains. Marketed under the trade name Tamiflu |
| Petechial hemorrhages | A form of mild hemorrhage which causes small red to purple spots to form. Reliable symptom of asphyxiation |
| Pleural cavity | The space that lies between the two thin membranes that line and surround the lungs. |
| Pneumonitis | Inflammation of lung tissue |
| Polymerase | An enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of copying a DNA or RNA strand (a virus’s process of replication) |
| Prions | An infectious agent composed of a protein in a mis-folded form. The cause of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, ‘mad cow’ disease and Kuru |
| Rosacea | A chronic condition characterized which causes redness of the skin and/or pimple-like pustules to form in one’s face |
| SARS | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – a respiratory disease that caused and epidemic which originated in Southern China and caused 8,273 cases and 775 deaths in multiple countries between November 2002 and July 2003 |
| Sumatriptan | A drug used for treatment of migraine |
| Thyroid | A large gland found in the neck that controls how quickly the body uses energy |
| Vancomycin | A natural occurring antibiotic, originally discovered in the jungles of Borneo, generally seen as a drug of last resort as there are few bacteria that have developed resistance as it has from its discovery been administered intravenously at hospitals and not been made available to the general public |
| ViCPS | One of two vaccines recommended by WHO for prevention of Typhoid |
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