If you’ve ever done any research into vaccinations, you may have come across the different kind of viruses in those vaccines.
Some vaccines contain a dead or inactive version of the virus they’re protecting against. Other use a weakened or live version of the virus.
But, what’s the difference between weakened and dead vaccines?
Travelers and locals in tropical and subtropical areas know the dangers of malaria. One parasite makes the mosquito-borne disease one of the world’s most dangerous diseases.
The CDC estimated about 216 million cases of malaria around the world in 2016. Of those cases, 445,000 resulted in death.
In the United States alone there are close to 2,000 cases a year, despite no local transmission. Travelers and immigrants return from countries with malaria, unknowingly spreading the disease.
Since October, there have been over 52 cases of E. coli as a result of eating romaine lettuce.
Months after it started, the outbreak doesn’t seem to be slowing down either. Cases of E. coli are still popping up in 15 states in the United States. There are also dozens of cases being reported in Canada as well.
In the U.S., E. coli cases have been present in states such as Wisconsin, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, and Michigan.
As we’ve reached the middle of holiday season, so comes the flu.
Did you know that there are numerous strains of influenza? The virus generates new strains all the time. These strains outsmart your body’s immune system and mutate so that they cannot be detected. This is one of the reasons why researchers and doctors encourage you to get the flu shot every year.
But, what if scientists developed a flu vaccine that only needed to be administered every few years?
More than 10,000 cases of cholera have been reported in North Nigeria in 2018. Since the outbreak began in early November, 175 people have died from the disease.
And much like the ongoing cholera outbreak in Yemen, it’s more than a disease causing this epidemic. The situation continues to worsen due to the presence and attacks from Boko Haram, a local terror group.
Most of the cases of cholera are present in displacement camps in Northern Nigeria, specifically in the state of Borno. The displacement camps were founded out of necessity in the last decade. More than 400,000 people were forced to leave their homes because of Boko Haram’s presence.
