Many people likely weren’t familiar with monkeypox until September 2018 when major news broke from officials that the United Kingdom had its first ever case of monkeypox.

One month later, a total of three patients have been diagnosed in the country. Though further cases are unlikely, the incident has built up some concern. Travelers and healthcare workers alike worry of the deadly disease.

As epidemiology (the study and analysis of the various factors of health and disease events) shows us, knowledge is imperative to preventing the spread of many diseases. So, how did three people get the monkeypox virus in England in the first place? And what risk does the disease pose to people who may have been exposed to it?

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Four new diseases pose a risk to travelers to tropical areas. The FDA recently added Lassa fever, chikungunya, rabies and cryptococcal meningitis to the Tropical Disease Priority List.

In a press release, the FDA’s Chief Scientist RADM Denise Hinton addressed the need for these additions. She noted that the list encourages new treatment for these diseases. By prioritizing them, we could see a push for new medicines or vaccines that could help the millions of people who live in these areas.

We’ve seen recent evidence of the effects these diseases can have on tropical regions.

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In many parts of the world, yellow fever is no longer an issue. Yes, some parts of the world still have regular bouts with the disease, but medicine and vaccines have helped with that problem.

Although, not so long ago, the disease was responsible for terrible epidemics. People were forced to flee their homes with the fires still burning.

Scientists estimate that yellow fever originated in Africa around 3,000 B.C. It started with a smaller impact in local villages, growing in range to large cities.

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Most people consider a toilet seat to be dirty, but did you know that the average cell phone is thought to be 10 times worse?

Scientists estimate that mobile phones contain over 25,000 bacteria per square inch. A study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine noted found that the phones of secondary students in Estonia had approximately 17,032 bacterial gene copies per phone. These are statistics that certainly grab attention.

While this information should encourage you to clean your hands (and your phone) more often, don’t panic.

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Although the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are two years away, experts are already worrying of a possible dengue outbreak.

In 2014, Tokyo suffered an outbreak of dengue fever, with 34 individuals affected. Experts are worried that with such a large amount of people coming to the games, the risk of the virus spreading quickly will greatly increase.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness, spread to humans by infected mosquitoes. The insects contract dengue when they bite a person who has the virus. From there, the infection spreads. Humans can’t directly spread the disease to others.

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