May 11
May 06

#IDFridays Week 11: Dengue

Surpassing malaria, dengue is the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease in the world Name Dengue Transmission A disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses The viruses are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito It occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe... read more →
May 04
Apr 28

#IDFridays Week 10: Mumps

If you have lumps on your face, you may have mumps… Name Mumps Transmission A contagious infection caused by a virus People can contract the virus when exposed to saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person (when they sneeze, cough, talk, etc.) It may... read more →
Apr 27
Apr 22

#IDFridays Week 9: Malaria

Malaria: Is this parasite Africa’s smallest killer? Photo Credits: Softpedia, Smithsonian Name Malaria (the name is derived from mala aria – or ‘bad air’ in Italian – as Ancient Romans believed that swamp fumes produced the illness) Transmission A life-threatening disease caused by the plasmodium parasite There are over 100 species of... read more →
Apr 15

#IDFridays Week 8: Legionnaires’ Disease

This bacteria lives in swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, fountains, and other water systems Photo Credits: ABC News, Video Hive Name Legionnaires’ Disease (the name comes from a 1976 outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia) Transmission A respiratory disease caused by Legionella bacteria When the Legionella bacteria infect the lungs and cause... read more →
Apr 08

#IDFridays Week 7: Scarlet Fever

This is another fever that gets its name from one of its more prominent symptoms: redness Photo Credits: MedBullet, Britannica Name Scarlet Fever Transmission A bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria (also affects a small percentage of people who have streptococcal skin infections or strep throat) The highly contagious bacteria... read more →
Apr 01

#IDFridays Week 6: Yellow Fever

This infectious disease gets its name from one of its more prominent symptoms: yellow eyes Photo Credit: Al Alarabiya Name Yellow Fever Transmission A viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes or Haemagogus species mosquito People cannot directly infect each other However, infected people can infect mosquitos which can go on... read more →
Mar 29

Infectious Disease Outbreaks Galore

Ebola. Dengue. Measles. SARS. Lassa fever. West Nile virus. Cholera. Bird flu. Zika virus. Sound familiar? In recent years and months, these words have made news headlines all over the world. Photo Credit: Smithsonian It’s clear that infectious diseases are not going away. In addition to new deadly pathogens emerging,... read more →