The chikungunya virus could not only have a devastating impact on the tourism of these countries, but also it could hurt other parts of their economies. To start off, with the chikungunya virus would also come public health costs which could potentially hurt the economy as these countries would have to figure out how to prevent chikungunya(Lalta, Stanley). Prevention could only be done through spending money on research and medicine that's necessary in order to stop chikungunya. Estimated amounts show that “total treatment and preventions for the Chikungunya Virus with a population of 1.3 million people would cost 13.2 million dollars in U.S. currency”, a very expensive amount that many poorer countries cannot bear. Symptoms of CHIK such as severe joint pain, headache, or arthritis would require real medicine to help a person stay healthy. Arthritis in limbs has been known to be one of the most severe symptoms associated with the chikungunya virus. By definition, it is …show more content…
the inflammation of one or more joints, causing pain and stiffness. The pain from arthritis is basically caused by damage to the joints from things like disease, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff and painful joints, or even daily wear and tear of the joint(U.S. National Library of medicine). Living with a symptom like this can truly be stressful and take a toll on a person dealing with it both physically and mentally. Another public health cost that could come with chikungunya would be professional help to allow for diagnosis of people with the virus. This would be done in order to figure out whether or not a person had chikungunya. This specific virus can technically be diagnosed by any type of person based off symptoms showed, but whether or not that diagnosis is correct depends on professional experience through education and knowledge on the subject which local islanders do not have(SA Health). The effects of chikungunya would not only stop at tourism and public health costs, but it would also impact jobs and working classes. Because many local people would be at risk of contracting chikungunya, many of them could and would indeed get sick with the virus. The symptoms that come with chikungunya could then put these workers out of work, as they wouldn’t be able to attend their job while unhealthy. This would harm both international and local businesses. Hotels and other services could potentially be out of workers, therefore shutting them down. Local businesses in these areas such as restaurants or farms would stop progressing and go bankrupt as owners wouldn’t be able to take care of their businesses full time. That being said, the economy would suffer greatly. The last time the Caribbean and Central American economies suffered badly was from 2007 to 2008. At the time, the world was experiencing a global financial crisis and there was a huge effect on smaller countries. The following effects were a rise in unemployment, a fall in government revenues, an increase in debt to GDP ratio, a drop in merchandise earning, a decrease in tourism and export of goods, and a few others(Ralph E. Gonsalves). The impact was terrible and this region could simply not take another hit like that. The chikungunya virus not only had an effect on the health and economy of people living in the Caribbean and Central America, but also it took a mental toll on them as well.
The outbreak of an uncommon virus in a region is known as an epidemic, however because CHIK began to spread all across the Americas(CDC), it had become a pandemic as it had spread over a large region of land(WHO). That being said, chikungunya would have most definitely caused people to fear for their health and not be willing to go out and live their everyday lives as they've be worrying about contracting the virus so much. An example of the same thing happening occurred in the U.S. during the year of 2009. An pandemic outbreak of H1N1(swine flu) had began to sweep across America( U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). Many became affected and were “scared for their lives”. People began to take cautions and question everyday decisions such as “...keeping their children in school”( U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services). The fear caused from this virus also could possibly affect relationships between family members and friends in Central America and the Caribbean. The locals living in these areas could very possibly not be able to visit their relatives because of risk of transmitting the virus. This is why only certain types of people have been advised to travel in and out of these infected regions, meaning that many people wouldn't be seeing their family and friends for possibly extended periods of time. The CDC has “advised potential travelers to the Caribbean to protect themselves from possible mosquitoes with CHIK”. This advisory was because research had shown certain travelers might be more prone to the virus. Some characteristics of these travelers would be people with “arthritis, serious medical conditions(high blood pressure, diabetes), women late in pregnancies, long term travelers(missionaries/ aid workers)”, or even “people older than 65”(CDC) This therefore shows that the advised visitation limits have been and can be indeed very constricting. This would potentially affect relationships between friends and family members. Research has shown that it is likely two people will grow farther apart if they see each other rarely. In an article by Robin Dunbar in the New York Times he said, “Emotional closeness declines by around 15 percent a year in the absence of face-to-face contact, so that in five years someone can go from being an intimate acquaintance to the most distant outer layer of your 150 friends”(Robin Dunbar). The same exact idea was presented in some research showing that “4.5 months is the average time before a long distance relationship starts to break down”(Statistics Brain Research Institute). Otherwise meaning, that having a strong relationship with someone far away while living in an area with this virus is unlikely, therefore affecting relationships. This has been seen in history before, an example being the bubonic plague during the Middle Ages. During this time, many people were diagnosed with this disease and relationships were basically ended out of fear of contraction(U.S. National Library of Medicine), a very possible result for the chikungunya virus too. All in all, the recent outbreak of the chikungunya virus in countries of Central America and the Caribbean, has indeed negatively affected the tourist economies of these places because of fear of contracting on the virus. And if the prevalence of this chikungunya continues, it is likely that the world will see many bad and long lasting effects on these particular populations, and that is why steps must be made to make sure that doesn't happen. To start off, Society needs to make sure there is better awareness for the chikungunya virus. Not only that, but also the governments of Central American and Caribbean countries need to advocate for their populations/visitors and teach them about the disease and how it can be prevented. Also, there must be better control of the virus and further research on finding a set vaccination for chikungunya as there is currently no cure. If this research cannot be funded in these places, than other countries/organizations must step in and help as lives are possibly at risk here. That being said, it is important that the world comes together to help solve this growing problem of the chikungunya virus.
In 1994, a stable in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia broke out with an unknown respiratory disease that resulted in thirteen horses and one horse trainer severely ill, resulting in death. [7, 8] This disease was isolated by scientists and later classified as the Hendra virus. The Hendra virus (HeV), previously unknown, is now classified under the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus along with its sister viruses the Nipah Virus and Cedar virus.[7, 9] HeV has the capability of causing fatal diseases in several animal species including humans.[1] The primary host of the Hendra virus was identified as the flying fox species from the genus Pteropus[1,2,3] that resides and migrates through Northeastern Australia[8] or more specifically, the East coast of Australia to Melbourne and west across Northern Australia to Darwin[7].
The Ebola Outbreak spread panic and suspicion throughout the world, similar to how the witch trials spreading hysteria around Salem. With news of Ebola spreading and mutating quickly, the world flung into panic (Ebola {2}). No one knew who all had come in contact with, or who was carrying the deadly disease. Similarly in Salem, people don’t know who is a witch, nor do they know if witchcraft has even been occurring (Salem). Regardless if the accusations were true, a mass panic spread over the people of Salem just like what happened with the Ebola outbreak.
Over the course of history, illnesses and pandemics have had a tremendous economic impact. Economic historians often struggle to calculate the economic impact of these events however, due to the lack of accurate records. The exception is the flu epidemic of 1918, which had a long lasting and significant impact on the world economy. In a ten month period stretching from late 1918 into early 1919, over 40 million people worldwide died as a result of the flu epidemic, about 4% of the world’s population. In comparison, the AIDS epidemic has killed 25 million people since 1981.
153 deaths have been associated with Chikungunya in the western hemisphere, stated by (Harvey, 2015). Mosquito-borne illnesses including Chikungunya has been prevalent in the Caribbean areas and is continuously spreading worldwide. Mosquito-borne diseases are virus that can only be transmitted through mosquitoes, which the virus can only be transmitted through a bite. Jamaica has encountered several mosquito-borne illnesses including Chikungunya, Malaria, and dengue. The name “chikungunya” is derived from a word in the Kimakonde language meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (Harvey, 2015). The virus has frequently been mistaken for dengue due to the similar signs and symptoms such as headache and joint pain. Joint pain, fever and vomiting are possible effects of Chikungunya in Jamaica.
Polio is a viral disease. It cripples thousands of people and infects even more every year. Even though millions are inoculated, and the polio disease has been successfully purged from hundreds of countries still thousands of people and developing countries are infected and still people are dying. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) polio affects the Central Nervous System, or CNS; by infesting the intestines and transmitting it into the nerves thought the blood vessels. There the virus spreads through the nerve cells to the brain stem or other motor units, while forever damaging the nerves.
Envision a life consumed by grayness and misfortune, slowly weakening the body from the inside with no proof of existence other than symptoms of a common cold. Dwindling away as skin begins to cling to bone, this monster, formally addressed as the Poliomyelitis (Polio) disease, finds its way to the nerves of the body as well as the grey areas of the spinal cord, leaving its host with dreadful affects throughout the body.Since its discovery in 1905, Polio has caused several epidemics throughout the years leaving many permanently paralyzed or even dead. Thankfully, scientists created the polio vaccination which lead to the nearly complete eradication of this disease. However, In order to ensure this disease does not spread as it once did before, people must come to understand Polio’s etiology, history and modern day epidemiology, as well as its proper response to treatment.
Meningitis, it’s an infection in the cerebral spinal fluid and inflammation of the meninges; the three outer layers of the brain. To be more specific, those three layers are called the Dura mater, Arachnoid mater, and the Pia mater. There are three main types of meningitis that will be discussed throughout this paper; viral, bacterial, and fungal. Each form is very similar but they all vary in terms of causative organisms, treatment and severity. Although meningitis is not very common, it can become very severe and always needs to be treated immediately.
Influenza is defined as an acute, commonly epidemic disease, occurring in several forms, caused by numerous rapidly mutating viral strains and characterized by respiratory symptoms and general prostration. Spanish flu was more than just a normal epidemic, it was a pandemic. Epidemics affect many people at the same time in areas where the disease doesn’t normally occur. A pandemic is an epidemic on a national, international, or global scale. The Spanish flu was different from the seasonal flu in one especially frightening way, there was an unusually high death rate among healthy adults aged 15 to 34 and lowered the life expectancy by more than ten years. Such a high death rate has not occurred in this age group in and epidemic prior to or since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. (Tumpey, 2005)
Meningitis is defined as inflammation of the meninges, which are the thin membranous covering of the brain and spinal cord. There are different variations of the disease which include bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and non-infectious.
The human population has a high susceptibility to the contraction of new diseases and outbreaks of these diseases are of high risk. Diseases in recent times that have broken out into the human population are the H7N9 flu strain and SARS. Despite the risk, outbreaks like H7N9 and SARS have been controlled due to epidemiology and other disease control methods. Outbreaks of disease are not uncommon to the human population as they move to new areas around the world with foreign diseases that the native residents would have developed a resistance to.
Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea in young infants. This virus was discovered in 1973. It is a non enveloped, double stranded RNA virus in Class III of the Baltimore Classification system. It is part of the virus family Reoviridae. There are five different species of this virus known as A, B, C, D, and E. Rotavirus A is the most common species of the virus causing more than 90% of infections in humans. It causes severe gastroenteritis and is a major cause of disease and death in children. Rotavirus attacks enterocytes in the small intestine causing the villous in the small intestine to shorten and fuse. Immunity of the virus develops with each infection. The virus is icosahedral with a triple capsid structure. The virus can be transmitted by the fecal-oral route. It has been identified in the stool of young children. Contact with contaminated hands, surfaces and objects can lead to the transmission of this virus.
“But you don't look sick.”. “If you just exercised more you would feel better.” , “It's all in your head.” , “You are just being lazy.”. These phrases are just a hand full of unkind things that people have said to me, simply because they do not understand my disease. Who could blame them? Doctors do not understand it. Researchers do not understand it. My parents do not understand it. My boyfriend does not understand it. Even I cannot understand it. I have Lupus. It is an unresolved disease that millions of people suffer with. Though there are numerous people diagnosed with lupus, there are very few people who know what it is, and how it impacts us from the time we wake up, to when we finally escape our pain with sleep. In this essay, I will explain what we know about lupus, what the symptoms are, and what kind of treatments are accessible for lupus.
Marburg virus belongs to the genus Marburgvirus in the family Filoviridae, and causes a grave hemorrhagic fever, known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF), in twain humans and nonhuman primates. Basic Safety measures for medical personnel and others who are taking care of presumed individuals who may be contaminated with Marburg disease. Marburg Virus, Akin to the more widely known Ebola hemorrhagic fever, MHF is portrayed by systemic viral replication, lowering the body’s normal immune response to invasion by foreign substances and abnormal inflammatory responses. Ebola and Marburg Virus are very similar in many ways Marburg virus was introduced first in the 1960’s. These pathological features of the disease subsidize to a numerous of systemic dysfunctions including
Dengue fever, also known as the “breakbone fever”, is a vector-borne viral disease endemic in tropic and subtropic regions, with around 100 million symptomatic new cases each year worldwide15. It is caused by any one of the four closely-related serotypes or viruses that is spread by multiple species of mosquitoes, in particular the Aedes aegypti 6,13.
Dengue is the most common arboviral (arthropod-transmitted) disease and it also position as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. Approximately 2.5 billion people living in tropical and sub-tropical regions are at a great risk of dengue infection, which is almost equal to about two-fifths of the human population (Gubler & Clark, 1995; WHO, 2009). There is an estimated 50-100 million infections occurring globally in each year, with 500,000 cases requiring hospitalization and causing 24,000 deaths (Halstead, 1988; WHO, 1997). Furthermore, the increasing populations in tropical and sub-tropical regions, making dengue as a global threat to public health (UNEP 2009; Holden, 2009).