The 2019-2020 flu season may have just started, but there is already an alarming amount of cases in Louisiana and Puerto Rico.
In just over a month, there have been over 600 reported flu cases along with two reported deaths. Most of the reported cases are among children and seniors.
Due to this shocking number in the first full month of the flu season, extra precautions are being taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to curb the spread of this year’s virus.
Burundi, a landlocked country in central Africa, has had an ongoing malaria epidemic with more than 7 million reported cases this year. More precisely, from January to October 20th, a “cumulative total of 7,233,138 malaria cases with 2,691 deaths” were reported.
The numbers illustrate a shocking 64% increase in malaria cases compared to the previous year. Worse, those numbers could continue growing in the last two months of the year.
With a country whose population is roughly 11 million people, these numbers are startling and action needs to be taken.
At the height of Spain’s tourist season, they had trouble stopping one foodborne illness. Cases of listeria spread across the region, causing one of Spain’s worst outbreaks of the disease.
The outbreak began in the summer, peaking in August, the height of the country’s tourist season. It wasn’t until mid-October that officials declared the outbreak over. Officials made this decision after they had gone 20 days without any new cases.
The outbreak caused over 200 cases of listeria confirmed by Spain’s Health Ministry. According to the government, there is reason to believe that there are an additional 500+ cases that are possible but have yet to be confirmed.
In 2020, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics.
But, even the sporting event of the year can run into issues with diseases.
Many chose not to travel for the Rio Olympics in 2016 due to Brazil’s ongoing Zika virus outbreak. The 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang had its own issues with a dangerous virus. An outbreak of norovirus spread to over 1,000 people at the event.
Japan is looking to get ahead of any of those risks. In preparation for this huge event, the country is already taking action for any kind of potential outbreak and to make the event as safe as possible.
No.
While the explanation may be more complicated, the easy answer is you won’t get the flu from the vaccine. But, with ever-changing science and the ingredients in the vaccine, some are hesitant to get the flu shot due to some misconceptions.
It’s not possible to get the flu as a result of getting a flu shot. Although, it is possible to feel side effects after getting a flu shot.
Despite the possibility of side effects, it is important and recommended that all people over the age of five months get a flu vaccine every single year. While side effects may be annoying, influenza can cause serious complications.
Typically, your mind might go to mosquitoes when thinking about diseases in Africa. With the risks of malaria and yellow fever, most travelers will fixate on arming against insect bites.
Non-communicable diseases will often go forgotten, although those illnesses are on the rise in Africa.
The World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1979. In the 40 years since that achievement, a smallpox-related debate has remained within the scientific community.
Experts across the globe are still unsure whether live virus samples should be stored or destroyed.
Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, has been stored in frozen test tubes in two laboratories to preserve the surviving strains of the virus. While most were collected during the time of eradication, there are some samples dated to the early 1930s. After the complete eradication the WHO decided that the frozen samples should be destroyed. What the organization did not decide is a date for that destruction.
In the field of public health, terms like “eradication” and “elimination” are commonplace. Yet to the average reader, the two words may seem identical.
So, what’s the difference in vocabulary? And what do the phrases actually mean?
As you may have guessed, disease elimination and disease eradication both involve getting rid of a disease. But, one term applies at a local level while the other is on a global scale:
In the 80 years since it was introduced to the public, not much has changed for the yellow fever vaccine. The immunization still serves the same purpose: preventing a dangerous disease.
Many people around the world haven’t been at any risk for the mosquito-borne disease. That’s because yellow fever is still often found in tropical and subtropical climates like Africa and South America, although it’s recently been found in some new areas. The virus spreads through bites from infected mosquitoes, causing symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening.
With no cure or treatment, the vaccine for yellow fever is your only form of medical protection from the virus. The vaccine is a live, weakened form of the virus and is given as a single shot.
Flu season is upon us and no matter what you do to prevent it, sometimes the virus can creep in.
Yes, even if you get the flu shot, you will have a chance of getting the flu. That’s because every year, the flu shot protects your body against certain strains and sometimes other strains can make you sick.
If you find yourself with a fever, coughing, and feeling fatigued, there are some foods you can incorporate into your diet that may help you feel better. And although eating may be the last thing you want to do, it’s crucial to provide your body the nutrients and energy it needs to get healthy again.
Here are some foods to incorporate into your diet to help kick that illness to the curb:
