Since the wet season began in late 2017, Malawi has seen a severe spike in cholera cases.
The Ministry of Health reported that the disease has caused 30 deaths and almost 900 cases this year throughout the African country.
Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, is currently being hit the hardest by the outbreak. Cholera spread to 352 people in Lilongwe and caused 18 deaths, as of April 12.
Whether it’s the estimated $54 billion SARS outbreak in Asia in 2002 or the $4.7 million measles outbreak in the Netherlands from 2013, epidemics cost money. Minnesota battled a measles outbreak in 2017 that totaled $1 million. Meanwhile, West Africa’s widely-publicized Ebola epidemic in 2014 tallied $32.6 billion.
Even these figures from groups such as the World Bank struggle to completely grasp the financial ramifications of such events.
No matter where it is or what disease spreads, an outbreak isn’t cheap.
Scientists believe that typhoid fever is an ancient illness tracing back millennia. They believe the disease may have caused Greece’s plague in 430 B.C. and helped extinguish the Jamestown Colony in the 1600s. Historians suspect that typhoid killed over 6,000 of the colonists that settled there.
Even despite that long history, we’re still struggling with the disease to this day, this time in the form of a superbug.
Typhoid fever is a highly contagious bacterium caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. The bacterium gets into food or drink, usually leading to symptoms withing one or two weeks.
While shingles is not a new illness, it has been featured heavily in the news recently due to Lin-Manuel Miranda. The playwright, actor and singer announced on April 5 that he was quarantining himself from his newborn son due to an official diagnosis.
For Miranda, the notable symptom was a migraine. Other symptoms of shingles can often include itching, pain or tingling in an area where a rash will develop, fever, chills and an upset stomach.
The World Health Organization (WHO) works closely with government officials in over 150 different countries. They divide those countries into six regions to provide aid and health to their citizens.
In keeping with their goal, the organization might look ahead to future health risks. So, how can they plan for an outbreak that doesn’t exist?
The WHO is making preparations for an unknown epidemic dubbed “Disease X.”
June and July are often associated with beaches, sunshine and heat, but not everyone wants to go to sandy shores.
Some travelers want to get away from the heat during the summer months. If you’re looking for snow in the summer, we’ve got five unexpected places for you to consider for your upcoming vacation:
Our immune systems are extremely delicate, and stressful situations like traveling can wreak havoc on them. Sleep deprivation, stress and many other issues on trips can only make you more susceptible to infections.
And your body isn’t the only change that could make you sick.
Traveling exposes you to more people than you would normally encounter. Spending time near dozens or hundreds of strangers only creates a better chance of catching something like a cold.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious virus characterized by a blister-like rash to form all over the skin. Spreading across the body, the pock-marked rash is also extremely itchy.
Decades old, a chickenpox vaccine now makes the virus preventable. Even once contracted, anti-viral medication creates a simple treatment for chickenpox.
It’s probably less of a concern for parents of young children, but the chickenpox virus can also cause shingles.
There are multiple different types of anthrax, all of which can be deadly if left untreated. Because of this the illness has been used for many acts of aggression over the last century.
But, anthrax didn’t just come about over the last 100 years.
The origins of anthrax are estimated to go back as far as 700 B.C. in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Rome and ancient Greece are also thought to have experienced the disease, with some considering anthrax to have played a part in Rome’s downfall.
What’s your first reaction when someone suggests that you don’t bring those electronic gadgets while on vacation?
Does it send a wave of panic through your body? Do you feel a sense of relief? Maybe you experience a wave of dread and guilt.
But would it really be that difficult for you to leave your cell phone home while you’re on holiday? The answer: It depends on the person and how they use their devices in their everyday lives.
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