The topic of latent tuberculosis has been a subject of debate recently. How common is it really?

Tuberculosis is a lung disease transferred from person to person by infected particles in the air. This makes tuberculosis highly contagious. But, even though the disease is airborne, not everyone who comes in contact with TB will become infected.

There are two types of tuberculosis: tuberculosis disease and latent tuberculosis.

We know the ongoing dangers of tuberculosis disease. Even with the help of modern medicine, tuberculosis continues to be one of the world’s most dangerous diseases.

[Read more…]

Like many parts of the world, Africa is growing, and doing so fast.

And, with population rising, Central Africa is also becoming much more urbanized. Over half of Central Africa’s population are expected to live in cities within the next 20 years.

For many in the region, these changes are largely seen as a positive growth. Although, disease and outbreak risks are also rising with increased urbanization.

[Read more…]

Polio is a nightmare of the past for most of the world thanks to life-saving vaccinations.

But, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Somalia, Kenya and now Papua New Guinea, recent outbreaks have brought a resurgence of the incurable disease where it was once eradicated.

Twelve children in five provinces of Papua New Guinea have been diagnosed with polio since July.

[Read more…]

Hundreds of people have died in Brazil’s largest yellow fever epidemic in over 100 years.

A major and unexplained resurgence of yellow fever in Brazil occurred in non-human primates in 2016. The outbreak then spread to humans in early 2017, taking almost 700 lives.

Thanks to a detailed study from Oxford University, we now know how the virus spread in the 2016-2017 Southeast Brazilian outbreak. Not only does it give insight into this outbreak, but could help stop future epidemics around the world.

[Read more…]

Millions of people visit airports every day. With so many people in one confined space, you have to expect some exchange of germs.

But, which area in an airport contains the most germs?

According to a new study from experts in the United Kingdom and Finland, not only can you catch a virus from airport security bins, they may actually be the biggest germ hotspots in airports.

[Read more…]

Deadly cholera outbreaks have recently been plaguing many African countries, particularly those in the eastern and southern Africa region (ESAR).

With almost 25,000 cases and more than 350 deaths, questions about the overall impact of the illness remain.

How did these outbreaks happen? How likely are they to spread throughout the rest of the continent? Are other regions in danger of a cholera outbreak?

[Read more…]

In recent years, we’ve seen the extreme dangers of foodborne illnesses. Cholera, typhoid and hepatitis A outbreaks can create epidemics that span whole countries and prove hard to stop.

An illness like listeria is no different.

The disease comes from processed meats that have gone bad, such as hot dogs, deli meats, canned smoked seafood. A person who even incorrectly refrigerates produce items can contract listeria. We’ve already seen the serious effects of listeria this year alone, with an outbreak in South Africa.

[Read more…]

We change the flu vaccine every year, but what if we didn’t have to?

That would require the long-rumored universal flu vaccine. While it would prove groundbreaking, that kind of vaccine has been considered out of reach. But, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania, a universal flu shot could be ready for clinical trials within two years.

As we covered in the spring, exciting new developments are underway for the flu vaccine. With this new information, the vaccine may be closer than we thought.

[Read more…]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem for patients with diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and typhoid. Those illnesses are proving much harder to treat with current antibiotics. Researchers believe AMR could cause 10 million deaths every year worldwide starting in 2050.

While AMR also applies to antimalarials and antivirals, antibiotics are often the main subject.

Antibiotics changed healthcare dramatically after the discovery of penicillin in 1928. Since that development, various bacteria have slowly developed a resistance to the drugs. As this continues, common infections and injuries could be deadly once again.

[Read more…]

During the summer, you probably only use bug spray when away from the city. Maybe it’s during a hike in the country or a day by the lake, but mosquitoes don’t bite in the city, right?

Not only do the insects bite in urban areas, but they’re also carrying diseases.

A recent study has shown that Japanese encephalitis, usually thought to be a rural problem, can spread quickly in cities as well.

[Read more…]