Part of the excitement of travel is trying all of the fantastic foods celebrated by different cultures. However, many famous delicacies are notorious for causing illness or even death if they aren’t prepared correctly. Here are a few of the world’s most dangerous foods that you might want to think twice about before you tuck in.
This spring, the avian influenza, or bird flu, was found in two cetaceans in two entirely different parts of the world. The first was an infection in a stranded porpoise in Sweden, and the second was in a bottlenose dolphin in a Florida canal. While this disease has been recognized for spreading amongst North American and European bird populations, it still affects other species. However, these are the first records of it being found in cetaceans, another name for marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021 there were roughly 247 million cases of malaria worldwide, putting nearly half the world’s population at risk of the disease. However, the risks and burdens of malaria are highly disproportionate. The WHO African Region is home to 95% of malaria cases. Malawi, a small country in southeastern Africa, is one of the areas where malaria wreaks havoc. The Malawi Ministry of Health (MoH) states that malaria is not only the leading cause of death in Malawi, but it also claims about 3 lives a day. The MoH is hopeful that adding the malaria vaccine to its routine immunization program could help lower both cases and deaths.
Catherine the Great is a well-known historical figure, but there’s so much more to learn about this Russian empress than what we see on the surface. One of the more compelling facts is that she sparked an interest in inoculation against viruses like smallpox.
Babesiosis is an infectious tick-borne disease that comes from protozoa, which are microorganisms. There are over 100 species of Babesia, common in animals like deer, mice, horses, cats, and dogs. Only two strains of Babesia are known to infect humans. Recently, cases of babesiosis have more than doubled in some Northeastern states between 2011 and 2019. Many people who develop babesiosis are asymptomatic, while others experience flu-like symptoms (chills, sweats, and muscle aches). People with compromised immune systems or other risk factors are at risk of having severe or fatal cases. The disease was rare for decades in the United States but is now endemic in 10 states in the Northeast and the Midwest. Experts are trying to determine why cases are climbing.
