Over the centuries, many epidemic diseases have wiped out huge portions of the population. From cholera and small pox to the Black Death and influenza, the wide and rapid spread of diseases have decimated populations, yet in a way, have led to...
Epidemic typhus is due to a bacterium called rickettsia and transmitted by the human body louse which lives on clothes and is found in places with poor sanitary conditions such as jails; hence, the disease is sometimes called "jail fever."...
Heart failure is described by the American Heart Association as a "complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill or eject blood." Nearly 6 million...
An epidemic refers to a disease that spreads quickly and furiously from person to person, infecting more people in a given region than anticipated. When an epidemic crosses states and spreads globally, drugs for mass treatment are necessary, the...
Obesity-related illnesses top the list as the leading causes of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes ranks No. 7 in the leading causes of death in the United States. There exists a solid link between obesity...
The statistics are clear: The rate of childhood obesity in the United States and elsewhere is at epidemic levels. The World Health Organization describes obesity in children as one of the most serious health issues of the 21st century. Preventing...
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that is contributing to increasing burden on the public health system and the economy. The rising rates of overweight and obesity affects both adults and children alike. In the United States, obesity is a leading...
The influenza virus causes a respiratory disease often called "the flu." The New York State Health Department reports that more than 200,000 people infected with the flu are hospitalized every year, and about 36,000 people die from the flu every...
Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus that affects the lungs, nose, throat and bronchial tubes. Most commonly referred to as the flu, influenza typically lasts for about a week, but in some cases it can be fatal. According to the...
Influenza is a virus that causes respiratory infection, but the symptoms affect the whole body. FluFacts.com, an informational website sponsored by the biotechnology company Genentech, describes these symptoms as headache, high fever, sneezing,...
The influenza virus has three classifications; type A, B and C. Influenza spreads rapidly and can occur as local or regional epidemics or global pandemics. While becoming infected with any strain of influenza virus leads to immunity to that...
Mammals and birds harbor flu viruses; avian strains typically are passed from aquatic birds or ducks to chickens or pigs, which are intermediate hosts. People then pass human influenza to these hosts, where the viruses combine to produce a new...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists three types of influenza virus: Type A, Type B and Type C. Some types have subcategories. The CDC estimates that between 1976 and 2007 there have been upward of 49,000 deaths in the United...
Influenza, often called "the flu," is caused by a type of virus that causes a respiratory illness that can range from mild to severe. Symptoms include fatigue, sore throat, stuffy nose, muscle aches and headaches according to the Centers for...
Influenza is a negative RNA-strand type virus that can be classified as virus strand types A, B and C. Influenza is a highly contagious virus that in the winter months causes many respiratory tract infections. The most serious are the...
There are three different types of influenza virus. Types A and B tend to spread rapidly and can occur either in regional outbreaks called epidemics, or worldwide outbreaks called pandemics. Type C influenza virus is the least severe of all three....
The flu is an unpredictable virus. Severity of outbreak depends on many factors, including which of the three types are spreading to how many people are vaccinated. Flu can also come in disguise because it can be spread by unsuspecting hosts who...
Influenza, known as the flu, is a common virus that causes illness in ducks, chickens, whales, horses, pigs, seals and humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza is technically part of the orthomyxovirus...
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also called the "Spanish Flu," killed more people than any other virus in recorded history, according to the National Archives. This deadly virus was responsible for killing over 50 million people worldwide and...
The flu is a blanket term given to respiratory infections that can come from a variety of different, but related, viruses. There are three major types of influenza viruses, with two of them responsible for the seasonal flu outbreaks that occur...
Asthma occurs when irritants and allergens cause the airways to inflame and produce excess mucus. The narrowed airways make breathing difficult, resulting in wheezing, cough and chest tightness. Soy is one of the common irritants and...
Although new variations of influenza, or the flu, arise every year, there are only three classifications of the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A, B or C viral infections. Avery form of the flu, including avian or...
Influenza is an acute infectious disease that affects the respiratory tract. It is characterized by the abrupt onset of headache, fevers, chills, muscle pains, severe malaise, cough, sore throat and rhinitis. The acute illness generally resolves...
The flu or influenza is a common respiratory infection that affects children. It is a seasonal virus, causing infection between the late fall and late spring seasons. Droplets easily transmit the virus when children cough or sneeze, particularly...
The flu is a common illness caused by influenza viruses. It leads to symptoms of congestion, runny nose, coughing, fatigue and headache for one to two weeks, according to the Nemours Foundation. When an influenza virus infects a person, the immune...
Several different yet closely related viruses cause influenza, or the flu. Three influenza virus groups---types A, B and C---belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, which includes a variety of viruses that infect birds and mammals....
Thyphus is a collection of deadly infectious diseases caused by different strains of the bacterial pathogen Rickettsia. The two major forms of typhus are known as epidemic and endemic typhus, and are caused respectively by Rickettsia prowazekii...
Meningococcal disease is a bacterial cause of meningitis. While not as communicable as influenza or the common cold, bacterial meningitis is mainly spread through the exchange of throat and respiratory secretions. According to the Centers for...
Yellow fever, or American plague, is an acute viral disease leading to many deadly epidemics in its history. Learn about yellow fever, including treatment options, in this health video.
The mumps, or epidemic parotitis, typically presents as severe swelling of the salivary glands. Learn more about the mumps including treatment options in this medical video.
Type II diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar or glucose. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for diabetes type II in this video.
Nicotine addiction is an epidemic that affects billions of people. Find out what is like to cope with nicotine addiction in this video.
