By Haleigh M.
In the news we often read about the “obesity epidemic” or the “drunk-driving epidemic.” While these represent serious health problems in the United States, neither obesity nor drunk driving is contagious. In the United States, we have been fortunate to stop or minimize large outbreaks of contagious diseases, such as the H1N1 and other flus. But, what epidemics are ongoing in the world today? And, how safe is the average American from catching these illnesses?
Malaria and Dengue Fever
For much of the world, mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever represent serious health risks. Because the insects carrying the parasites that transmit the diseases may bite many people over a fairly large distance, and because mosquito bites are such a common occurrence for much of the world’s population, malaria and dengue epidemics can flare up quickly and without a lot of notice for epidemiologists.
Fortunately focusing on the public health aspects of the disease—for example, by encouraging more people get a master’s degree or other training in public health—has helped the United States avoid serious outbreaks in recent years. Additionally, good wastewater treatment and infrastructure that reduces the amount of habitat for mosquitoes in urban areas means that most regions of the United States where the kind of mosquito that carries malaria would naturally live have less mosquitoes in general. Still, about 1,500 people in the US contract malaria every year, some of them bringing it home from foreign travel. That number may seem like a lot until you consider that world-wide, about 220 million people are diagnosed with malaria and of those, more than 650,000 people die each year.
Dengue fever, on the other hand, is also carried by mosquito but instead of being transmitted via parasite, is caused by one of several viruses. Dengue is not widespread in the continental United States, but has seen epidemics in Puerto Rico. For example, in 2010, almost 30,000 suspected cases were reported in Puerto Rico. However, the instances of dengue fever have decreased since the 1950s, when programs began to eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitos and to raise public awareness about the disease.
All in all, Americans are fairly safe from these two mosquito diseases that often become epidemics around the world, as long as they don’t travel to danger areas.
Ebola
Many thousands of people need to become sick with malaria or dengue fever before officials count it as an “epidemic;” however, some more virulent diseases, such as Ebola, need only infect a few people before precautions must be taken to protect the rest of the population in the area. In April, an epidemic of Ebola was announced in Guinea after only eight deaths. The Ebola virus, which is a kind of hemorrhagic fever, is fatal in a majority of cases.
When an epidemic of Ebola occurs, public health officials must move swiftly and strategically to minimize the amount of outside contact that individuals who had been in contact with the infected people might have. That is to say, if a traveler sits next to an infected person on a bus, he may be the next person to be contagious. And, if he is in turn infected, then anyone who he has contact with may also be at risk.
To stem the risk of contagion, local officials and representatives of international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, need to move quickly to analyze and treat potential sufferers of the disease. In the case of the recent Ebola outbreak in Guinea, the World Health Organization responded by sending several tons of equipment for workers to use. This equipment included protective clothing and tools for disinfection.
To date, the United States has had few Ebola outbreaks, probably because most often the disease originates in monkeys and other wild animals not native to the Americas. However, we rely on the quick and accurate work of medical professionals for our safety from this disease.
Influenza
When wehave a cough or a slight feverwe often have a “call me in the morning” reaction, in which we think we can handle the symptoms ourselves and needn’t bother a doctor or other health care professional.
However, when an influenza epidemic is beginning, these individuals who think they can tough it out on their own may be putting the whole community at risk. Recent epidemics of bird flu, especially ones originating in Asia, have been hard to track and harder to treat when the illness is mild. This is the epidemic that Americans are most at risk for, because travelers can spread influenza easily and without knowing it.Finding the root of the outbreak and minimizing contagion is a knotty problem for public health officials.