Cholera is a disease caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. These bacteria infect the small intestines and can be fatal for an otherwise healthy person in mere hours if not diagnosed and treated. Following infection with the virus, symptoms can take anywhere between two hours and five days to appear.
Diphtheria is an infection caused by bacteria. It is extremely contagious and spreads very quickly, affecting the throat and the nasal passages. People who are most likely to contract diphtheria include elderly adults, young children under the age of five, and people with compromised immune systems. Fortunately, cases of diphtheria
The term “hepatitis” refers to a family of diseases that result in liver inflammation and can be chronic and long-lasting. There are a few different types of hepatitis, all of which are viral diseases. These include Hepatitis A, B, and C. When the the liver is affected by these viruses, it
Hepatitis B is part of a group of viruses that affect the liver and also include Hepatitis A and Hepatitis C. According to the World Health Organizaiton (WHO Fact Sheet), approximately two billion people around the world have the disease and nearly 600,000 die from complications of Hepatitis B every
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a virus that can infect both humans and animals. In humans, the virus creates a swelling reaction in the membranes surrounding the brain, potentially causing long-term brain damage to nerves and tissues. The disease is transmitted through mosquito bites, similar to West Nile Virus. In the
Polio is an infectious disease that has been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, although the first official diagnosis of polio was made in 1789. It is caused by a virus that attacks the body’s nervous system, causing paralysis in only a few hours. In between 5 and
The disease of rabies is viral in form, causing a quick and severe infection of the central nervous system, leading to inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). Rabies affects animals that are warm-blooded, and is passed on from species-to-species. For example, if a rabies-infected dog were to bite a human, the
Description Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a serious infection that is caused by bacteria. It mainly affects the nervous system and can cause muscle contractions, most often in the muscles of the neck and jaw. This can make breathing extremely difficult. In some cases, it can even cause death.
Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a common and often lethal disease which typically attacks the lungs, although it can affect other parts of the body. About 1/10th of latent infections will progress to the active disease, which if not treated properly kills more than half of people infected. About
Typhoid (also known as Typhoid fever) is a widespread universal bacterial disease. It is transmitted when water or food is contaminated with an infected person’s feces and ingested by another person. It has various names, including slow fever, nervous fever, gastric fever, and abdominal typhus. The impact of the disease
Yellow fever is an infection spread by mosquitoes. Many patients suffer jaundice, which is the yellow pigmentation of the skin; hence the name “yellow” fever. Yellow fever is responsible for 30 000 deaths annually, and approximately half of severely affected patients who do not receive treatment will die from yellow