Top 10 Current Pandemics (Aside From COVID-19)
10. Salmonella Typhimurium
Animals raised for food, such as pigs and cattle, and even some domesticated pets, including birds, dogs, and cats, can have Salmonella bacteria. The symptoms of salmonellosis, a disease that can be obtained from consuming contaminated eggs, meat, and milk, are mild and resolve on their own within a few days.
One of the two kinds of Salmonella most commonly seen in humans, Salmonella Typhimurium, may be experiencing an outbreak right now. France, Belgium, Ireland, the US, Norway, and countless more nations have documented over 151 cases. Although no fatalities have been reported, the epidemic has had a disproportionate impact on children.
Kinder, an Italian chocolate brand, may be directly responsible for this present surge. We still don’t know how widespread the outbreak is, despite their distribution to more than 113 nations.
9. The polio virus
There was a time when polio was a major issue for every country on Earth. Although today the disease has manifested in countries all across the globe, the only places where wild poliovirus is prevalent are in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Problematic in regions with low vaccination rates, especially in Africa, the virus persists despite widespread inoculation in nations like the US and UK.
Mild symptoms are experienced by as many as 90% of those affected. But for the other 10%, paralysis is permanent and, in the worst case scenario, immobilization of the respiratory system could be fatal.
Many cases of polio are still happening in Yemen and a couple of African nations right now. Vaccination campaigns are impeded in certain areas due to violent conflict, like as Afghanistan. Even though the death toll has been significantly decreased due to large immunization campaigns, there is still no cure for the disease.
8. Rubella
The deadly measles virus is extremely contagious and lethal. Potential long-term effects for those who manage to escape include impairments to their hearing, vision, and brain function. The vaccine has greatly increased the survival rate because it can be prevented.
However, medical experts have noted a rise in cases globally in recent months. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund reported a 79% increase in measles infections in the first two months of 2022. There have been twenty-one major outbreaks recorded worldwide as of April 2022, with the majority occurring in the eastern Mediterranean and Africa.
The start of a global epidemic is a major concern for many specialists. Measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are becoming more common as nations shift their focus from COVID-19 to COVID-19.
7. Aiguazá virus
Direct contact with infected rodents or monkeys can cause monkeypox, a kind of orthopoxvirus, to spread to people. Countries in west and central Africa, especially the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have typically been the only ones to experience severe cases. Although smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, recently reported cases of monkeypox have resulted in fatalities ranging from 3% to 6%, making it one of the most deadly illnesses now in circulation.
An alarming increase of occurrences outside of African regions has been observed since May of 2022. More than 19,800 cases have been reported from various nations as of September 20, 2022. Although most media attention has focused on sexual transmission, monkeypox can also spread through touching infected things, such as contaminated clothing or towels.
6. Conjunctivitis
In 2020, Nigeria was the first African country to record a case of yellow fever. Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, and Nigeria are just a few of the numerous east, west, and central African countries that have recorded cases since then.
The mosquito-borne disease known as yellow fever can be prevented with the use of a vaccination. Typical mild symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and headaches; but, if the infection were to progress to the kidneys and liver, it would cause fever, nosebleeds, eye infections, and maybe death.
Disease confirmation has been challenging in many places due to inadequate medical surveillance, while most cases have been reported from Nigeria and Ghana.
5. MERS-CoV
There are several active coronavirus strains besides SARS-CoV-2, most often known as Covid-19, which has had a devastating impact on the globe. Since 2012, several Middle Eastern nations, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, have reported cases of MERS-CoV, often known as the Middle East respiratory disease. More than 800 have lost their lives and over 2,500 have been infected with the disease.
Acute respiratory disease similar to COVID-19, MERS-Cov is both severe and extremely contagious. however it has mostly remained contained to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the surrounding areas. Although some animals, like as camels and bats, have been recognized as possible vectors for the virus, its actual source remains unknown.
4. Phallemia
Some records of cholera illness date back to the 5th century BC, making it one of the earliest viral illnesses known to science. There were six catastrophic global outbreaks recorded between 1817 and 1923, with the current seventh outbreak being the deadliest of the bunch. The disease has been infecting approximately three to five million people annually since it first appeared in Indonesia in 1961.
The bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera. Even though the majority of infections don’t cause major problems, there are instances where they can cause mortality. The worst of the pandemic has passed, which is a relief, but cholera is still very much alive and well. Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines are among the nations in Asia and Africa that have recently reported outbreaks.
3. Hepatitis
Many different types of infectious viruses can cause hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. The most frequent ones include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and so on. Some forms of hepatitis can cause cancer and other serious illnesses, and in the worst cases, death.
More than one million people die from hepatitis and its consequences each year, making it the most common and deadly virus in the world. There have been numerous smaller outbreaks in different parts of the world, however collectively it may be considered a worldwide pandemic. The current wave has been especially lethal for children under the age of five, and it has spread over twelve nations, including Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania, and Belgium, among others.
2. The ebola virus
In certain epidemics, the death toll from the Ebola virus might reach 90%, making it one of the deadliest viruses known to science. Another way HPV spreads is by direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids; it is extremely contagious.
We still don’t know how ebola spreads, and the virus itself has no treatment. Bats may be the initial hosts for the virus, according to some experts, before spreading to chimps and, finally, humans.
Multiple outbreaks have occurred across a vast area of central Africa, most notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, since the disease’s 1976 discovery. The present ebola epidemic, which started in April of 2022, is the sixth to strike the nation since 2018.
1. AIDS
Since its discovery in the 1980s, the HIV pandemic has infected more than 79.3 million individuals, making it one of the longest-running pandemics in history. There have been almost 40 million fatalities due to the disease since then, and millions more are infected every day. Although it is present practically everywhere, the African continent is now the most at risk.
At the present time, HIV cannot be cured, but it can be managed by specific medical procedures and therapies. Although contaminated needles and other injection equipment are the most common routes of transmission, the disease can also spread through unprotected sexual contact with an infected individual.
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