What it is: Found in parts of the tropics, subtropics and southern Europe, leishmanaias is a parasitic disease that is transmitted by the bite an infected sand fly. It afflicts about 2 million people worldwide every year.
Symptoms: The most common form of the disease in humans, affecting nearly 1.5 million people globally each year is cutaneous leishmaniasis. This form of the disease causes skin sores, which may develop a raised edge and central crater, causing the sores to look much like a volcano. Even without treatment, this form of leishmaniasis will normally heal on its own – but it can take months, or even years, and the sores may leave unsightly scars.
Visceral leishmaniasis is a more severe form of the disease, and the second most common, affecting about 500,000 people around the world every year. In these cases, the killer parasite migrates to the internal organs – such as the liver, spleen and bone marrow – and causes fever, weight loss and swelling of the spleen and liver. If left untreated, severe cases may result in death.
Treatment and prevention: No vaccines or drugs to prevent leishmaniasis are available, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and the best way to prevent infection is to protect oneself from sand fly bites.";
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What it is: Chagas is a parasitic disease found primarily in rural, poverty-stricken areas of Latin America. It is caused by the triatomine bug, a blood-sucking insect, which hide in the walls of houses made from mud, adobe, straw or palm thatch. During the night, these insects emerge and feed on people’s faces. After they bite and ingest the blood, they defecate on the person, which can cause infection if the bug feces enter the body through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin.
The CDC estimates that as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central America and South America have Chagas – but most do not know they are infected. If untreated, infection is lifelong and can be life threatening.
Symptoms: Symptoms of Chagas may be initially very mild, and some cases are even symptom free – which may explain why so many are infected but don’t realize it. There are two phases of the disease: acute and chronic. Both phases can be symptom-free or life-threatening. The acute phase lasts for the first few weeks or months following the initial infection and is marked by fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. The most recognizable marker of the disease is swelling of the eyelid, where bug feces were dropped or accidentally rubbed into the eye.
The chronic phase may last for decades or even for life. In some cases, even the chronic phase may be symptom-free. But some sufferers develop cardiac or intestinal complications.
Treatment and prevention: No drug or vaccine exists to prevent Chagas. To prevent the disease, the traveler’s best bet is to spray infested dwellings with insecticides, use insect repellent, wear protective clothing and use bed nets. ";
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What it is: Dengue fever is a virus that is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is found in the tropics and in parts of Africa. About 50 million cases of dengue occur worldwide each year.
Symptoms: An infected person may experience a mild to high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain and rash.
Treatment and prevention: There are no specific antiviral medicines for dengue. To ease sufferers' discomfort, experts recommend hydration and the use of aspirin or Ibuprofen. ";
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What it is: Infected mosquitoes transfer Chikungunya fever to humans. It is a viral disease, generally found in tropical parts of Africa and Asia, and is usually not fatal. The term “chikungunya” means “that which bends up” in the Kimakonde language of Mozambique.
Symptoms: Those with the disease may have fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, rash and joint pain.
Treatment and prevention: A specific treatment for chikungunya does not exist; instead, medical experts often treat the symptoms. To prevent the disease, experts encourage using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing and staying in screened-in areas."; Health_KickAssDiseases[i++] = new Array("","Malaria","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/brill-hlt-090226-Malaria.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Fertility", "", "", "", "", "left", "F. A. Murphy", "CDC", "273", "216", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Health_KickAssDiseases[i-1].body = "
What it is: Malaria is a sometimes fatal mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. Each year, 350 to 500 million cases occur globally, and more than one million people die, most of them young children in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Symptoms: After being bitten by an infected mosquito, a person may experience fever, chills and flu-like illness. If untreated, sufferers can develop severe complications and die.
Treatment and prevention: Antimalarial drugs, bednets and insecticide are all powerful weapons against the disease. "; // END editorial data