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
28
Apr
27
Today we visited Eletu Odibo Senior High School in Yaba, Lagos. The purpose of the visit was to teach students when and how to properly wash their hands, speak to students about the importance of personal hygiene for health, and distribute products which Unilever Nigeria donated to DRASA. The school... read more →
Apr
22
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
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
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
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
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 →
Mar
25
Did you know Nigeria is one of the 22 countries with the highest rates of tuberculosis in the world? Photo Credits: PBS, BBC Name Tuberculosis Transmission Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis There are two types of TB infection: ~1/3 of the world’s population... read more →
Mar
18
Just like whooping cough, the measles virus is also making a comeback as outbreaks continue to occur all over the world from Australia to California to Nigeria Photo Credits: IFRC, CDC Name Measles Transmission Caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family, is highly contagious, and is normally passed through direct contact and through the air Person-to-person transmission... read more →
Mar
11
Have you ever heard that an insect bite can make you very tired? Well, it’s not a myth… Photo Credits: Doctors Without Borders, Oregon State University Name Trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness) Transmission Through the bite of an infected tsetse fly Geography In 36 sub-Saharan African countries and there are two... read more →