The Philippines just declared their first polio outbreak after almost two decades of eradication.
While there are currently only two cases in the country, the event has sparked a widespread vaccination campaign in the region. Officials hope the move will prevent infections of the highly contagious and deadly virus.
The outbreak has also highlighted the need for high vaccination rates. Even areas where a particular illness has been eliminated can see a return if those rates fall.
The United States could soon lose its measles-free status from the World Health Organization.
Through high vaccination rates, the U.S. has remained officially measles-free for 20 years. But, after increased vaccine hesitancy and measles outbreaks around the country, the news may not come as a surprise.
In fact, this news may seem like just another page in the American measles outbreak story. These measles outbreaks have already caused over 1,000 cases of measles in more than half the states this year. But, the loss of this status is a much more troubling sign for the future of measles in the country.
In early September 2019, Kenya became the third country to administer the only licensed malaria vaccine. The first recipients of this vaccine were at-risk children in rural areas.
Malaria is a deadly mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that kills around 435,000 people each year, with around 92% of those deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of malaria’s victims are children under five. It kills one child every two minutes.
Even with improved treatments around the world, we still seem no closer to eradicating malaria. But, a widely-used vaccine could be the first step in saving another 435,000 lives from the disease.
Increases of measles and hepatitis A have already made their way across the United States. While many mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and Zika aren’t a problem in the U.S., it appears there’s a different illness spreading.
Cities in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, have reported cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a sometimes-deadly mosquito-borne virus.
Five people across three states have already died from this virus in the U.S. this year. As a result, many states have warned locals to make precautions against the disease.
Due to the CDC’s recent health alert for hepatitis A outbreaks, many people are wondering what makes the main types of hepatitis, A, B and C different.
Is one type more serious than another? Do they all present with the same symptoms? Can you catch each of them the same way? Are there any other notable factors which distinguish them?
Let’s find out.
