INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Tetanus also known as lockjaw is a serious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system. Tetanus bacteria enters the body through a wound, so it is important to see your doctor for a tetanus booster shot if you haven't had one in the past 10 years. Tetanus causes painful muscle contractions, especially in the jaw, and can affect your ability to breathe. Stay aware of signs that you might have tetanus, including: Difficulty swallowing Spasms that last several minutes Stiffness in the neck or jaw Fever High blood pressure The Achilles tendon a tendon connecting your heel to the muscles in your calf is often at special risk for rupture if you have jungle rot. Ruptured tendons can be identified by hearing or feeling a pop or snap in your calf followed quickly by a terrible pain in your leg or ankle. With a ruptured tendon, you will be unable to walk properly or put a normal amount of weight on the leg. Most cases of ruptured tendons require surgery. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you've ruptured a tendon. As the tropical ulcer progresses, it might lead to gangrene, a medical condition characterized by the death of tissue due to infection. If you suspect you have gangrene, contact a medical professional immediately for treatment. Your ulcer might have become gangrenous if: You have extreme pain in your affected limb followed by a period of numbness Your skin near the ulcer is deeply discolored and appears bruised. It might be red, purple, black, blue, or bronze in color. Your skin is pale, hard, numb, or cold. You have an extreme fever and/or low blood pressure in addition to any of the above symptoms. Edema is buildup of bodily fluid that causes the skin to swell and become discolored. If you notice yourself accumulating weight in your legs or feet, experiencing stiffness in your joints, or feeling aches and pains in your legs, you probably have edema. Combined with related symptoms, this may indicate a case of tropical ulcers. Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of skin in uneven patches. You might notice the skin around your ulcer becomes discolored and darker than the rest of the surrounding skin. This is usually temporary, but could last for several months. The amount of time the hyperpigmentation lasts varies from person to person.

SUMMARY: Look out for tetanus. Check for ruptured tendons. Look for gangrene. Look for edema. Look for hyperpigmentation.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you are having difficulty identifying active woodworm in your home (as opposed to other damage to the wood, or damage from woodworm that is not longer active) look online for exterminators in your area. Read reviews online and ask friends or colleagues if they have recommendations for local extermination companies. Call different companies for quotes and assessments before booking an appointment. Identifying specific species' of woodworm is incredibly difficult, and can result in misguided treatment attempts that fall through. Ask an exterminator for a professional assessment of your problem. Inquire about pricing and potential treatments before agreeing to any services by the company. Treatments could range from water based treatments for less severe infestations to fogging a treatment for floors that generally does not require furniture and carpets to be removed. Once an exterminator has identified woodworm in your home, consider having them treat the problem right away. Over time, woodworm can cause significant damage to wood as well as serious structural problems in a building. DIY measures can be ineffective and time-wasting if infested wood has been left untreated for too long, so be proactive about stopping the problem before it gets out of hand.

SUMMARY: Find an exterminator. Have an assessment done. Get your infestation treated.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Herpes simplex virus is very common and highly contagious. HSV -1 commonly affects the face, and often causes cold sores (painful blisters on the lips). HSV-2 tends to cause painful genital blisters. HSV-1 can spread through kissing or oral sex, while HSV-2 can spread through skin to skin contact with infected genitals. Be aware that HSV can have a long-dormant period. You may have contracted herpes long ago, but the virus may have stayed dormant in the nerve cells where it resides. Stress and lack of immunity (getting sick) are common triggers for activation of the virus from the dormant phase. Even if you can't remember ever being in contact with someone with HSV-1, consider if you've ever had a cold sore or fever blister. In the "prodrome" or early phase of any disease, symptoms indicate the onset of a condition. For whitlow, these symptoms usually appear 2 to 20 days after initial exposure, and include: Fever Fatigue Unusual pain Numbness Tingling in the area Once the initial prodrome phase has passed, you will see far more specific symptoms that point clearly to whitlow: Swelling, redness, and rash, with fluid filled vesicles around the area. The vesicles may rupture, and a white, clear, or bloody fluid will come out. These vesicles may merge and take on a black/brown color. Ulceration, or a break in the skin, may develop later. Symptoms can resolve from anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks. Since whitlow is a more of a clinical diagnosis, the medical staff might not order any additional tests. Instead, the doctor will take your symptoms and medical history including an HSV diagnosis into consideration to diagnose whitlow. The doctor may also take a tube of your blood to order a complete blood count (CBC) with a differential (a count of your white blood cells). This will let them see if you have enough immune cells to fight infections, or if you have an underlying immune dysfunction that causes reoccurring infections. The doctor may want to test for herpes if you haven't been diagnosed with it. They may analyze your blood for herpes antibodies, order a PCR test (for the detection of herpes DNA), and/or order a viral culture (to see if actual herpes virus is growing from your blood).

SUMMARY:
Recall if you've had contact with someone who has herpes. Look for early symptoms. Observe more typical whitlow symptoms in the disease phase. Get a formal medical diagnosis.