In recent years, we’ve seen the extreme dangers of foodborne illnesses. Cholera, typhoid and hepatitis A outbreaks can create epidemics that span whole countries and prove hard to stop.

An illness like listeria is no different.

The disease comes from processed meats that have gone bad, such as hot dogs, deli meats, canned smoked seafood. A person who even incorrectly refrigerates produce items can contract listeria. We’ve already seen the serious effects of listeria this year alone, with an outbreak in South Africa.

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We change the flu vaccine every year, but what if we didn’t have to?

That would require the long-rumored universal flu vaccine. While it would prove groundbreaking, that kind of vaccine has been considered out of reach. But, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania, a universal flu shot could be ready for clinical trials within two years.

As we covered in the spring, exciting new developments are underway for the flu vaccine. With this new information, the vaccine may be closer than we thought.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem for patients with diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and typhoid. Those illnesses are proving much harder to treat with current antibiotics. Researchers believe AMR could cause 10 million deaths every year worldwide starting in 2050.

While AMR also applies to antimalarials and antivirals, antibiotics are often the main subject.

Antibiotics changed healthcare dramatically after the discovery of penicillin in 1928. Since that development, various bacteria have slowly developed a resistance to the drugs. As this continues, common infections and injuries could be deadly once again.

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During the summer, you probably only use bug spray when away from the city. Maybe it’s during a hike in the country or a day by the lake, but mosquitoes don’t bite in the city, right?

Not only do the insects bite in urban areas, but they’re also carrying diseases.

A recent study has shown that Japanese encephalitis, usually thought to be a rural problem, can spread quickly in cities as well.

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Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen or MG) is a relatively new sexually transmitted disease but it’s already a bigger problem than you might think. The disease could already be present in one in every 100 adults and it may very well become a superbug due to its antimicrobial resistance.

Even if you haven’t heard of it, the STI is surprisingly common. Mgen infects roughly one to two percent of people in the United States and in Australia, as well as one percent of people in the United Kingdom.

As Lifehacker AU notes, countless people know of gonorrhea and not Mgen, yet Mgen infects more than twice as many people as gonorrhea.

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