France now poses a risk for chikungunya.
The World Health Organization confirmed four cases of the mosquito-borne disease in south eastern France on Friday. Including the nine other possible cases, the WHO fears at least 13 people are infected with chikungunya.
While four confirmed cases may seem small, mosquito-borne diseases are not native to the region. This continues a trend of mosquito-borne disease that are becoming more frequent throughout parts of Europe.
The polio epidemic in the U.S. was far-reaching with widespread consequences. Touching the lives of all citizens, the disease even reached the highest levels of the government. The most notable of these was the 32nd American president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The polio epidemic began in the U.S. around 1916. The initial outbreak in New York led to 27,000 cases and 6,000 deaths by the end of that year.
With no vaccine, polio continued to affect communities across the U.S. for the next several decades. While many who contracted polio did not show symptoms, cases often ended tragically. This could be as small as muscle aches or a fever, but sometimes meant paralysis or death.
While the meningitis vaccine is crucial for health during college, this post does not mention all available vaccines for the disease. A separate vaccine is recommended to protect against the meningitis B strain. The routine meningitis immunization does help prevent the A, C, W and Y strains, but a different vaccine is needed for meningitis B.
The meningitis B vaccine is fairly new, but is recommended for anyone between the ages of 16 and 23. The meningitis B vaccine is available at all Passport Health clinics.
College can be a scary first experience for freshman. New school, new friends, new living arrangements and new exposures to health risks. In locations across the United States, meningitis outbreaks have hit colleges and other schools.
The world is constantly struggling to get ready for the next epidemic.
Currently there are different methods in place to track outbreaks. This allows the world to pinpoint where outbreaks happen and where they might strike next. But, we still doesn’t have tools in place to handle an epidemic once it starts.
It’s no coincidence that there are multiple devastating outbreaks every year. According to Time, annual disease epidemics have tripled since 1980. The number of new diseases have also seen a significant spike over that time and deadly viruses are on the rise across the globe. From MERS in the Middle East to Ebola in West Africa, travel warnings are all we have to stop future outbreaks.
Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst dengue outbreak in the country’s history, with over 100,000 confirmed cases.
This outbreak has occurred less than a year after Sri Lanka defeated another mosquito-borne disease. In 2016, the World Health Organization officially certified that Sri Lanka had eradicated malaria.
Sri Lanka’s success is credited to a variety of steps from the government and people. The country eliminated the mosquitoes carrying dengue while increasing surveillance of the parasite and use of mobile clinics.
