Disease mongering

Center for Disease Control The Center for Disease Control, or CDC is the leading national public health agency in the United States. It is a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services and is headquartered just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC aims to promote good health by preventing the growth and development of disease, injury and disability. The CDC focuses its efforts on preventable issues, such as infectious disease, foodborne pathogens, environmental health, injury…

Statistics included much data in the form of different graphs about influenza. To begin, influenza was placed under the category of “Infectious and Contagious Diseases”, contributing to its category’s total of 1,103 deaths and 4.90% of the total mortality (pg. 42). “Infectious and Contagious Diseases” was further classified under “Parasitic Diseases”, which accounted for 9,522 deaths and 42.40% of the total mortality (pg. 42). Influenza was the twelfth principal cause of death in Maryland in…

diversity is great and complicated. The systems of between disease and species can change an ecosystem drastically and shake up the biosphere entirely. In this essay I will discuss how pathogen like those found in Plague inc. can impact biodiversity in our world today, and vice versa. One obvious consequence of deforestation is the loss of habitat for animals. But one unforeseen consequence arises when dealing with infectious diseases: the prevalence of deadly pathogens increase. For example,…

pathogen's family with 11 genera. The genus I identified is the lyssavirus from the family Rhabdovirdae. The species of the family Rhabdovirdae, I found on this farm in Montana, was rabies. Animals and humans can be a host to this virus. It is a zoonotic disease prevalent in wildlife, and the main animals involved vary between continents. In North America the main animals involved are foxes, skunks, raccoons, and bats. Humans can become infected by the infected saliva of a rabid animal. This can…

The absence of disease or the promotion of wellbeing is the primary goal of public health work. The first level of prevention is to avert the disease or injury from even occurring. Public health’s biomedical research has seen great advances toward prevention. Public health measures have successfully mitigated infectious disease, environmental teratogens, and even genetic disorders. The identification of how underlying factors play an adverse role in an individual’s health have enabled a…

There are many factors that have the potential to influence the emergence of new infections. A common factor is the spillover event. In the case of this event a pathogen present in one reservoir population will spread the pathogen to a new host or reservoir. An example of this is animal to human contact. For example, Ebola is thought to have been transmitted to humans by a bat. Meaning that the bat was the first reservoir host and passed it to a human host, a new population. Additionally,…

Purpose: Explore the spread of a communicable disease using a simulation. Question:What is the effect of immunity on the rate at which a disease spreads? Hypothesis: If a higher percentage of people are immune to a disease, then the disease will spread more slowly, because fewer people will be able to contract it or pass it on. Variables Independent variable: immunity rate Dependent variable: number of people with the disease Materials: White paper cups water 1 cup of NaOH food coloring…

Although as chaplain Michael Bergin wasn’t out on the fronts fighting, he still fell victim to the illnesses and injuries of war. On 16th June 1915, he was admitted to A. S. Hospital Mudros, a town on the island of Lemnos, in Greece which was used as an allied base with influenza and diarrhoea. Commonly known as the flu, influenza is an extremely contagious virus pasted from person to person by sneezing or coughing. In the Great War, more people died of influenza rather than the war itself. The…

understand contagion? What are Miasmas? Humans have explored the causes of diseases and how they are transmitted for thousands of years. Hippocrates and another Greek philosopher Herodotus discussed diseases such as smallpox. Since 1500 BC, different societies began inventing new ways to treat water and improve the quality. For example, Hippocrates invited the practice of filtering water after 500 BC. Other culture believed diseases were sent from Gods or cast through witchcraft. According…

Mentions of Leprosy date back to 600 B.C. Leprosy affected many in ancient China, India and Egypt. Often times those afflicted with the disease were ostracized by society and forced to live in isolation for their whole life due to the fact that it was thought to be a punishment from God. After the crusade, many northern europeans were infected, with some estimates stating even a quarter of the population wa infected. Many people believe that the black plague killed so many since so many already…