There are so many myths about leprosy. Does it cause your body parts to fall off? Does it make you blind? Learn the facts below Name Leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease (named after G. A. Hansen who discovered it in 1873) Transmission A chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects…
#IDFridays Week 49: Leprosy
#IDFridays Week 48: West Nile Virus
80% of people with this virus don’t have any symptoms Name West Nile Virus aka WNV (name comes from the West Nile district of Uganda where it was discovered in 1937) Transmission A virus that lives in birds but can spread to and infect humans, horses, and other mammals When mosquitoes bite birds infected with…
#IDFridays Week 47: Typhoid
You can get this illness from the food you eat and the water you drink Name Typhoid fever Transmission A serious illness caused by a bacteria called Salmonella Typhi that can spread throughout the body and affect many organs The Salmonella Typhi bacteria live in humans (in the bloodstream and intestinal tract) and exit the…
#IDFridays Week 46: Swine Flu
A swine flu pandemic in 2009 killed more than 284,000 people worldwide Name Swine flu (swine influenza) Transmission A respiratory disease caused by a group of influenza viruses that regularly cause influenza outbreaks in pigs There are different subtypes and strains of swine influenza viruses The outbreaks usually cause illness in pigs, but do not…