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They have accompanied mankind since the dawn of time. They touched everyone, without exception: women, men, children, rulers and paupers. Their common denominator was the discovery of antibodies that protect against illness or severe course. Plague, black pox, tuberculosis – these are just some of the infectious diseases that once decimated entire populations. Although not all of them have been completely eliminated, today the range of their occurrence is much more limited.
- One of the diseases that until recently was a deadly danger is smallpox. Vaccination was able to eliminate the disease – smallpox eradication was announced in 1980.
- Some diseases that once decimated populations continue to pose a threat in selected regions of the world
- An example of such a disease is plague, cases of which are still noted, among others in the countries of Asia and Africa
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Small pox (black pox)
An acute viral infectious disease that has decimated entire populations for centuries. The disease was caused by infection with the smallpox virus, usually one of two types: variola minor and – the more infectious variant – variola maior.
Symptoms usually appeared between the 7th and 10th day after contact with the pathogen and initially resembled cold symptoms: weakness, increased body temperature, muscle aches and headaches. Only after about 2-3 days did the characteristic rash appear, covering the face and limbs. Spots or papules turned over time into fluid-filled blisters, and these turned into scabs, which, after falling off, left a mark on the skin in the form of scars.
The easy route of infection (contact with an infected person, but also with their clothes, underwear and personal items) and the severe course of smallpox caused the disease to have a high mortality rate. The most virulent strains of the virus killed up to 80 percent of infected, with milder variants – up to 30 percent.
In fact, the pathogen’s exceptional aggressiveness was used in armed conflicts. The smallpox virus as a biological weapon was used, among others, during the colonization of North America in 1763, when mass infections affected Indians from what is now Pennsylvania.
Effective protection against the disease was developed in 1796. The inventor of the vaccine was British Edward Jenner. After the spread of preventive vaccinations, the mortality rate clearly decreased and it mainly concerned the unvaccinated (30% risk of death as a result of infection), but it took more than 180 years for the disease to be considered eradicated, that is, completely eradicated in the world.
In Poland, smallpox appeared for the last time in 1963 in Wrocław (99 infected, three victims), while the last natural infection with the smallpox virus in the world was recorded in 1977 in Somalia; a year later, the last death was found after contact with the pathogen. On May 8, 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox defeated.
- The editorial board recommends: When Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccination, it was said that those who were vaccinated would grow horns [FRAGMENT OF THE BOOK]
Plague
It was the cause of the greatest epidemic in human history, killing millions in the fourteenth century, inhabiting largely the European continent (it is estimated that in some regions there could have been a decline in the population of up to 80%). The so-called common infections were responsible for this. with the plague stick, i.e. the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which passed to humans mainly as a result of being bitten by an infected flea (after contact with sick rodents or other small mammals).
The course of the plague and the prognosis depend on the form of the disease. The worst is when septic (sepsis) plague is diagnosed, which often leads to death on the second or third day after the onset of the disease. Primary pulmonary plague is, in turn, extremely contagious, and its course is very severe, often ending in respiratory and circulatory failure, which leads to death even within a few days of infection.
The most common form of the disease is bubonic plague, manifested by high fever, chills, sweating, weakness and headache, followed by significant enlargement of the lymph nodes. Overall, the mortality rate of untreated plague is estimated at up to 80 percent.
- See also: A New Plague Strain. It is drug resistant
Although there is a vaccine against the plague and infected patients receive antibiotics, the disease has not been completely eradicated. Single outbreaks continue to occur in Asian and African countries. In addition, vaccination does not provide protection against all types of plague. That is why prevention is so important in this case – avoiding contact with dead animals (especially wild ones) and rodents that may be attacked by infected fleas.
Yellow fever (yellow fever)
Yellow fever (another name for yellow fever) is a viral disease that takes its name from one of its most characteristic symptoms – jaundice. The pathogen responsible for the infection belongs to the group of flaviviruses, and its vector is mosquitoes. Symptoms usually appear 3–6 days after contact with the microorganism.
The course of yellow fever is varied. It is mild in most people – symptoms resemble a severe cold: fever, chills, general weakness, headaches, muscle and back aches, and loss of appetite. Some patients develop the disease (the so-called second, toxic phase of yellow fever) – jaundice appears, which may lead to liver and kidney dysfunction.
According to WHO data, patients who enter the acute phase of yellow fever have 50 percent. chance of survival. If death occurs, it occurs up to two weeks after infection. Others get better, and disease provides them with permanent immunity. The vaccine also provides this protection.
Even in the case of this infectious disease, despite the existence of a vaccine, the disease is diagnosed in many areas, especially in tropical areas. Therefore, people who go to countries from endemic regions should get vaccinated. In some countries, a vaccination certificate is mandatory.
You can buy the yellow fever vaccine from Medonet Market.
Polio (Heine-Medin disease)
An infectious disease caused by polio virus infection is also known as acute pediatric paralysis, H14, viral anterior horn inflammation, and poliomyelitis. It is dangerous because in most cases it is asymptomatic, and when symptoms appear, it is easy to confuse them with a common cold (it is then referred to as abortive polio). This does not mean, however, that the disease – after a mild or asymptomatic course – will no longer be present.
In some cases, after years (even 25–40), postpolio syndrome may occur, which is characterized by muscle dysfunction, leading to chronic muscle pain, weakened performance, and even problems with speaking, swallowing or breathing.
- we recommend: They had polio. They tell about the treatment in the People’s Republic of Poland
A less common type of polio than abortifiable is paralytic polio, in which neurons in the spinal cord are paralyzed and consequently paralyzed in parts of the body (usually the extremities or the trunk). In the bulbar form, nerve centers located in the brain are damaged, resulting in problems with movement, speech and breathing. In the worst case, both variants of Heine-Medin disease combine, which most often lead to the patient’s death.
The spread of the disease was stopped by the invention of effective vaccines (three different formulations were developed in the 50s and 60s). Since then, two types of the polio virus have been eliminated: II (eradication of the disease caused by it was announced in 2015), which was last infected in 1999, and III (the last infection was in 2012). People infected with type I polio virus continue to appear – single infections mainly come from African and Asian countries.
Tuberculosis
The incidence of tuberculosis is still very wide (even in Poland, there are over 5 cases annually), and around the world it is diagnosed annually in about 10 million people (data for 2018). However, the current numbers are much lower than at the beginning of the last century, when tuberculosis, then called consumption (from the sudden weakness and pallor accompanying illness), took its death toll in most countries of the world.
The disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the so-called mycobacterium tuberculosis. The course of the disease depends on the type of contact with the pathogen. If this is the first contact, we are talking about primary tuberculosis. Sometimes it is asymptomatic, but much more often the patient experiences symptoms such as severe fatigue and weakness, chest pain, cough, increased body temperature, chills and sweating, weight loss occurs, and haemoptysis in an advanced stage.
Another form of the disease is primary tuberculosis, which occurs at an unspecified time after infection. Cases of the disease are diagnosed most often in people with weakened immunity, e.g. HIV-infected or in oncological patients. The symptoms are similar to those of the original bacterial infection, but may get worse over time. Mycobacterium tuberculosis then occupies subsequent parts of the lungs (and sometimes also other organs), disrupting their functions and often leading to death.
Mass cases of tuberculosis were stopped by the invention of the vaccine, which was first administered in 1921., and the introduction – exactly a quarter of a century later – of the first drugs for this disease.
For many years it seemed that tuberculosis was no longer a lethal threat. Today, however, the WHO is alerting that diseases caused by mycobacteria resistant to the strongest tuberculosis drugs have spread. As many as two thirds of patients live in only eight countries of the world: India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.
This may interest you:
- How was smallpox completely eradicated? This is one of the greatest successes of mankind
- Polio – a forgotten disease with an epidemic in the background. The discovery of the Pole saved millions
- The biggest epidemics in recent years