Guide To Almost Eradicated And Entirely Eradicated Infectious Diseases

Polio

Polio is a viral illness that can cause nerve damage and lifelong paralysis. It typically affects children under five years old. While the last known case of polio in the United States occurred in 1979, ninety-six cases were reported in 2017, and it is still considered a threat in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. Symptoms associated with the severe form of polio that may cause paralysis include loss of reflexes, muscle pain and weakness, and floppy limbs. Patients with a less severe form of polio that does not cause paralysis may still have a fever, back and neck pain, headaches, vomiting, and stiffness in the arms and legs. Today, paralysis occurs in an estimated one in every two hundred cases of polio, and the illness has a ten percent mortality rate. Both oral and injected vaccines are available to prevent polio, and experts believe polio is currently almost ninety-nine percent eradicated.

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Malaria

Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It is commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates such as sub-Saharan Africa and the Asian subcontinent. The disease is also prevalent in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and New Guinea. Malaria can cause fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever, and chills. Patients may also develop a cough, and chest and abdominal pain are frequently reported. Although there is currently no vaccine to prevent malaria, health organizations recommend individuals traveling to places where malaria is endemic to consider taking preventative medication. Mefloquine, primaquine phosphate, and quinine sulfate with doxycycline are some of the medications that can be used to prevent malaria. The same medications are routinely used to treat the condition. The majority of malaria fatalities occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and patients under five years old have the highest mortality rate from this disease. Efforts to eradicate malaria were originally started in 1955, and many countries have now come close to eliminating it.

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