With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it seems like this is the biggest challenge the world has faced yet. Pandemics are not new to humanity through the ages. Other recent diseases—some much rarer—have afflicted different parts of the world. Here are some of the scariest diseases in the 21st century and where to avoid them.
Ebola
Ebola attacks the cells that line blood vessels, causing internal bleeding from the intestines to the brain. The patients drown with their own blood when it enters the lungs.
Ebola first appeared in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Sudan in 1976. Recent research has shown that it came from fruit bats. The West African countries witnessed the largest Ebola epidemic in history from 2013 to 2016 with Liberia and Sierra Leone getting the worst of it.
Naegleria fowleri (the brain-eating amoeba)
Naegleria fowleri—better known as the brain-eating amoeba-is a microbe that thrives in warm lakes, springs and pools in tropical climates. It enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain before the patient dies. However, infections are rare, with only 39 reported cases in the U.S. between 2010 and 2019.
River blindness
Spread by the bites of the infectious blackfly, a parasitic worm called Onchocerca volvulus infects the body and causes extreme rashes, severe itching, and blindness.
River blindness is common in fast-flowing waters or rivers in remote African villages. In Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula and in six Latin American countries, there have been reported cases of river blindness.
The good news is that travelers rarely get more than one insect bite, which is what it takes to get infected.
Buruli ulcers
The Buruli bacteria kills healthy tissue beginning with the emergence of a harmless swelling of the arms or leg, which contributes to restricted mobility. The exact transmission is unknown.
It belongs to the same family as leprosy and tuberculosis bacteria. In comes cases, it requires surgery for removal. Fortunately, when caught early enough, antibiotics can treat it properly.
Buruli ulcers have been reported in 33 countries in Africa, Central Asia, South America and the Pacific, most of which are West and Central African countries and Australia.
To your survival,
Steven Bryant
