Few viruses are great for you, but some that caused problems in the past were extremely
dangerous. Worse yet, a few of them, like the ones here, are still around.
Discussing influenza is extremely complicated, but let's talk about the deadliest one, and
according to the CDC, that's the influenza A virus. There are actually four different
categories: A, B, C, and D. Out of the four, A is the only one that's ever caused massive
pandemics, and it's also the one that can undergo a fast, drastic change called an "antigenic
shift." When that happens, it can spread from an animal population to humans, and it's not
long after that you'll start to see headlines about things like avian flu.
Influenza's chameleon-like ability to shift and change makes it incredibly dangerous.
Take the 2009 outbreak of H1N1, sometimes called swine flu. The CDC estimates that during
the first year of the outbreak, around half a million people died from it. And while typically,
the most susceptible demographics include the very young, the very old, and the immune-compromised,
this particular flu targeted people younger than 65. And it's still out there. Between
2009 and 2018, around 75,000 people died from it.
That's an entirely different thing from seasonal flu, which goes around every year, usually
between December and February. That we're prepared for, because most people have been
exposed to the virus before or have had some kind of immunization. It's when the virus
changes that terrible things happen. Everyone's immune system is starting from scratch at
that point, and well…building up a whole new line of defense takes time.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola is pretty rare. When the virus does
make the jump to human populations, usually coming from close contact with certain kinds
of animals, it can have a fatality rate of anywhere from 25 to 90 percent, depending
on the outbreak.
Sadly, one of the groups at the highest risk for being infected are healthcare workers
who are treating patients, as the virus can spread through blood or other bodily fluids.
Ultimately, though, the CDC says researchers still aren't sure where the virus originates,
but they do know that there are at least six different versions of it that cause illness
in various animals. Four of those can infect and kill people.
Symptoms can take as long as 21 days to appear, though a person isn't contagious until they're
symptomatic. And those symptoms can include things like fatigue, muscle pain, headache,
fever, and sore throat. Those then escalate quickly into vomiting, diarrhea, and impaired
kidney and liver function, often with internal and external bleeding. It's safe to say Ebola
is truly a nightmare.
"What does it feel like?"
"It takes so much out of you. It really does. It is very draining."
Part of childhood is being traumatized by the "classics," and that's definitely true
of Old Yeller, the tale of a boy who's forced to shoot and kill his beloved dog after the
pup contracts rabies. Isn't the innocence of childhood a wonderful thing?
But there is some good news. The CDC says that rabies is completely and absolutely preventable,
and you can definitely keep both yourself and your pets safe. But it's also completely
and absolutely fatal if left untreated.
The rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact between broken skin, mucous membranes,
and infected tissues or saliva. Most often, that's a bite from an animal that's infected.
Technically, any mammal can get rabies, but it's most often seen in skunks, foxes, bats,
and raccoons.
Rabies is also pretty tricky. Early symptoms are similar to symptoms of the flu, and it
can take months to progress to the point where the patient suffers from some strange things
that start with anxiety, confusion, and "cerebral dysfunction." That escalates into insomnia,
hallucinations, delirium, and a fear of water in an acute period that lasts somewhere between
two and ten days.
Less than 20 people have been documented to have survived a diagnosis of clinical rabies.
So bottom line? If you've been bitten or scratched by a wild animal, consult a healthcare professional.
They'll assess your risk, and immediately start treatment if they decide it's the best
course of action. Until then,
"Vaccinate your dogs and cats!"
Dengue fever might sound like something that only explorers in the 16th century had to
worry about, but according to the CDC, around 40 percent of the world's population lives
in areas where it's still a significant risk.
Every year, around 22,000 people die from it, and millions more get sick. It's caused
by a virus that's spread by mosquitoes, and as far as a vaccine goes, there's good news
and bad. The good news is that there is a vaccine, but the bad news is that it's only
recommended for people between nine and 45 years old. And if someone is vaccinated then
still gets dengue anyway, they're at a higher risk of getting severe dengue, which is, of
course, the deadly stuff. Once severe dengue develops, death can follow within just a few
hours.
For most people, it's the fever that's the worst. Then, there's the aches and pains,
along with the rashes and the very, very specific symptom of major eye pain. Once it turns into
severe dengue, though, that's heralded by vomiting, bleeding from the gums and nose,
and ultimately shock and death resulting from severe internal bleeding. If you're traveling,
plan appropriately.
"You should take every step to protect yourself from mosquitoes. Use your repellant and cover
up when you have to be outside."
What we now know as HIV/AIDS was first identified in 1981, and according to the US Department
of Health & Human Services, it's remained one of the world's deadliest epidemics. Here's
how it works.
The virus is spread from the fluids of an infected person through the mucous membranes
of another, where it enters into the bloodstream. That most commonly happens during intercourse
or by sharing needles during drug use, but it can also spread from a mother to a breastfeeding
baby, by receiving blood transfusions or organ transplants, or from a severe bite from an
HIV positive person.
Once the virus is in, it goes right for the immune system. There's no cure, although there
are treatments which have been proven to keep people healthy and stop the virus from spreading
to others. These treatments have even been found to stop the development of AIDS, as
long as they're continuously taken according to instructions.
Without treatment, HIV will progress into AIDS, and when that happens, the average expected
life span is about three years. It's typically not the virus that kills a person but their
vulnerability to other diseases, conditions, and cancers. Tragically, it's been estimated
that over 70 million people have contracted the disease and over 30 million have died
from it.
"It is still a very bad, very unfortunate thing to get HIV-infected."
Smallpox is nasty. According to Forbes, it infected around 300 million people just in
the 20th century and killed about 100 million. Those that contracted the disease suffered
from not just blisters, but blisters so bad they caused blindness and permanent disfigurement
in survivors.
In 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox had been officially eradicated thanks
to the success of a global vaccination program. But here's the thing, scientists are now worried
that thanks to global warming and the melting of ice that's been frozen for a long, long
time, smallpox might be just waiting to make a comeback. And yes, there's a precedent for
it. Melting ice in Siberia released anthrax, which hospitalized 24 people.
Scientists are still researching smallpox, which is caused by the variola virus, and
it's not just because of the possibility that global warming is going to unleash another
pandemic. There's also the possibility that it could be weaponized. A few vials of it
still exist, and it's possible there are more out there than we know. In 2014, the National
Institutes for Health announced they'd found a few vials in a storeroom,
"Vials of smallpox had been forgotten for decades and were just discovered in a cardboard
box."
So while it might be officially eradicated, it's not entirely gone yet.
On December 31, the year 2019 made it clear it wasn't going out without one last parting
shot. That's when the World Health Organization was informed of a coronavirus outbreak in
Wuhan, China, one that was eventually named COVID-19. The name change came because this
isn't the first time the world has seen a coronavirus outbreak. Not by a long shot.
According to the CDC, the SARS outbreak that spread to more than two dozen countries in
2003 was also caused by a coronavirus. In that outbreak, 8,098 people were infected,
and 774 died from a severe respiratory illness that often turned into pneumonia. Like COVID-19,
SARS was spread most easily through respiratory droplets expelled by coughing and sneezing.
Then, in 2012, there was another coronavirus outbreak. This one was called MERS, and it
was centered around Saudi Arabia. This version of the virus was particularly dangerous for
those with pre-existing heart, kidney, or lung conditions, or those with already compromised
immune systems. The fatality rate was around 30 to 40 percent.
And that shows just how many different strains of coronavirus there are. Scientific American
says four strains in particular cause about a fifth of all common colds, and the virus
family's recent propensity to mutate has researchers scrambling.
In 2019, the World Health Organization reported that once again, there'd been an increase
in the number of measles cases. Why? Well, as they put it, quote, "The disease has spread
fast among clusters of unvaccinated people." That's resulted in the deaths of young children.
In 2016, the WHO declared the UK to be measles-free. In 2019, though, the BBC reported that the
designation had been taken away, as there was a steep increase in cases because of people
who passed on the vaccination. Why? Gee, only if we knew.
"Hey, remember that time you got polio? No, you don’t, because your parents got you
f---ing vaccinated."
In 2018, measles killed more than 140,000 people, and in 2017, around 110,000 died.
Most were children under five years old. In addition to its potential deadliness, measles
can come with all kinds of other nastiness, including blindness, swelling of the brain,
severe diarrhea, and pneumonia, all of which are serious complications, especially for
the very young.
According to the CDC, the US started keeping track of measles cases in 1912. In the first
ten years, there was an average of 6,000 deaths each year. The CDC also reports that even
though the US was declared measles-free in 2000, that's not the whole story. It doesn't
mean there are no cases of measles. Instead, it means that the only cases were ones brought
in by travelers. That means it still exists, so there's a good reason to get those vaccinations.
"The CDC says it’s the best way to stop measles from gaining a foothold again in the
U.S."
Yellow fever has its name because jaundice, a condition that turns your eyes and skin
yellow, is one of the symptoms. According to the World Health Organization, there are
47 countries in Africa, Central America, and South America where yellow fever is endemic.
In 2013 alone, the organization logged as many as 170,000 severe cases and 60,000 deaths.
It's caused by a virus that's transmitted to humans through mosquitoes, and since there
are a few different types of mosquitoes living in different environments, there are different
types of yellow fever. The symptoms are mostly the same, though, and include fever, muscle
pain and headache, chills, nausea, and, specifically, backache. Many people get better in just a
few days, but if the case turns severe, it escalates into failing kidney function, as
well as bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth, and stomach. And here's where one of two things
can happen: people could recover in around two weeks, or they could die.
There's sort of good news. There is a vaccine that's available and incredibly effective,
but the WHO says we'll probably never get rid of the disease completely. Doing that
would mean getting rid of mosquitoes and their natural habitats. We'd also have to eliminate
yellow fever in the animals mosquitoes pick it up from. In the meantime, cutting out the
middleman doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Mosquitoes suck anyway.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about interesting
and newsworthy topics are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.