Infectious Diseases

Influenza

Influenza - commonly shortened to "the flu" - is an extremely contagious viral disease that appears most frequently in winter and early spring. The infection spreads through the upper respiratory tract and sometimes invades the lungs. Although both colds and influenza stem from viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract, the symptoms of influenza are more pronounced and its complications more severe. The first flu virus was identified in the 1930s. Since then, scientists have classified influenza viruses into types A, B, and C. Type A is the most common and usually causes the most serious epidemics. Type B outbreaks also can cause epidemics, but the disease it produces generally is milder than that caused by type A. Type C viruses, on the other hand, never have been connected with a large epidemic. Despite advances in prevention and treatment, influenza and its complications are still fatal to about 36,000 people in the U.S. annually

Malaria

Malaria is an infection of the blood that is carried from person to person by mosquitoes. The disease has been recognized for thousands of years and once was found almost everywhere except in the most northern areas of the world. Malaria has been wiped out in North America, Western Europe and Russia. It remains a serious problem in much of the tropical and subtropical world. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, more than 40 percent of the world’s population lives in areas where there is a risk for contracting malaria.

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection spread through respiration, either with contact with an infected person’s fluids or through a cough. The disease is extremely rare in the U.S. because of widespread immunization programs. Measles is transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus is most often spread when people first become ill and before they know they have the disease. A person is contagious from about four days before the rash breaks out to four days after the rash appears.