Five little known diseases that could turn dangerous this year
Though it’s nice to hope for the best in the year that’s still in its first month, there’s no point in turning your face away from potential threats- like these five diseases that could turn dangerous in 2017.
Leishmaniasis
Lesimaniasis has historically been known as “Aleppo boil.” It’s a parasitic infection which has recently caught media attention since it became an issue among Syrian refugees. The disease which creates disfiguring skin ulcerations occasionally spreads to the internal organs. The result could be fatal. It’s spread by the sandfly.
Rift valley fever
The disease bearing virus is spread by various biting insects. However, it’s not transmitted from person to person. So far, the consensus is that humans are infected only by mosquitoes which have bitten livestock before. However the disease has been spreading more, especially in Africa.
And it’s not unusual for the disease to be seen in travelers who return from affected regions-pointing to a possibility that the disease may make its way to other continents. The disease begins with a vague fever along with aches and pains. However, RVF could progress to cause internal bleeding, brain inflammation, liver failure and blindness.
The death rate of the disease is 1 percent. However, if bleeding occurs, it rises to 50 percent.
Oropouche
Yet another virus which has been expanding its range in recent times, it’s spread by mosquitoes belonging to the genus Culex. And Culex has a much wider distribution than the Aedes mosquitoes which spread Zika.
Orpouche had its origin in the Amazonian heartland but broke its fence to reach the neighbouring parts of South America. Whether it would spread across the globe is a fear in the medical fraternity. Oropuche is characterized by fever along with loss of appetite, vomiting and headaches. There can be meningitis complication as well.
Elizabethkingia
It’s not spread by biting insects but it can be found around the world. The worrying factor is that it may have intensified clinical impact this year since antibiotics are no more a reliable defense against bacterial infections.
Experts opine that the variety of problems it brings- including pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, added with recent rise in antibiotic resistance makes elizabethkingia a dangerous disease.
Mayaro
The disease is characterized by fever, pains and aches and also rashes. It could be considered as a distant relative of Chikungunya and is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. The disease, which recently surfaced in Haiti is said to be “the next Zika.” Like cholera, Mayaro could be another infectious disease which spread in the context of a health infrastructure that was tarnished by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Image credits: channelnewsasia.com
Images may be indicative