Increases of measles and hepatitis A have already made their way across the United States. While many mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and Zika aren’t a problem in the U.S., it appears there’s a different illness spreading.

Cities in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, have reported cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a sometimes-deadly mosquito-borne virus.

Five people across three states have already died from this virus in the U.S. this year. As a result, many states have warned locals to make precautions against the disease.

[Read more…]

Due to the CDC’s recent health alert for hepatitis A outbreaks, many people are wondering what makes the main types of hepatitis, A, B and C different.

Is one type more serious than another? Do they all present with the same symptoms? Can you catch each of them the same way? Are there any other notable factors which distinguish them?

Let’s find out.

[Read more…]

The vast majority of the world doesn’t currently worry about polio. With outbreaks of measles, hepatitis A and Ebola, most countries don’t need to worry about polio.

But, over 60 years after the vaccine was created, three countries still struggle with the disease. Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the last three countries in the world where polio is still an active threat.

And after years of trying to end the disease in Nigeria, that list could soon get shorter.

[Read more…]

The CDC has now issued a health alert amidst the ongoing hepatitis A outbreaks. The outbreaks have already caused more than 25,000 reported cases of illness in the United States since 2016.

Regions on the east coast have been particularly affected with the largest number of cases currently taking place in Kentucky, Ohio and Florida:

[Read more…]

For many around the world, plans to stop malaria may seem like a roller coaster.

Hopes build as possible vaccines or methods to fight off mosquitoes progress. But, that optimism is often ruined quickly with news that the disease is still killing millions with no solution planned.

The serious and often fatal disease continues to be one of the world’s most dangerous. Citizens in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in particular are still rather helpless against the mosquito-borne disease. While the illness is active in more than 100 countries, it’s these regions at the highest risk of malaria. That leaves almost half of the world’s population living in an area at risk of the disease. In 2017, that translated into an estimated 219 million cases and 435,000 deaths.

With these numbers in mind, why are we not on track to eradicate this disease sometime soon?

[Read more…]