Philippines is a country known for having an abundant ecology. Its diverse nature is a home for many plants and animals. Forests, mountains, plains and variety of water forms are some of the remarkable features of the archipelago. However, behind this beauty, there has been a terrible and alarming dilemma that has been encumbering the Filipinos and the government- a parasitic disease that can kill humans, Schistosomiasis. The number of people being infected with this disease is very alarming. This disease, also known as bilharzia or “snail fever”, currently infects 200 million people worldwide and results in approximately 25 million-disability adjusted life years’ lost (David U. Olveda et. al). In Africa, for instance, more than 200 million, …show more content…
These microscopic worms, which are about 150 micrometer in size, live in certain types of freshwater snails. Eggs are eliminated with feces and urine of an infected individual and under best conditions, these hatch and release miracidia or larvae which swim and enter specific snail intermediary hosts. The infectious parasites, arise from the snail, then contaminate water. Thus, in order for a schistosome to infect an individual, human contact is necessary. After the release from the snail, the infective worms swim and penetrate the skin of human host (“Schistosomiasis-Parasite” …show more content…
A year ago, a companionship of missionaries met a young farmer and patient whom they named “Robert”. He had been suffering from the disease for almost a year then since he and his fellow farmers were infected. According to his story, they all worked in a particular rice field in Palo, Leyte which was already reported to have a high number of infected residents. Sadly, his co-workers died of the disease. Likewise, in Basa, Trento, Agusan del Sur in Mindanao, 70% of the residents were infected with the disease. Award-winning Filipino documentary “Alaga” by Kara David exposed public awareness of a tremendous number of people who acquired the disease and used Basa as the basis of the report. In the said video, David witnessed how possible it was for most of the residents to have a similar disease. She met a certain family, Bandera, where all members except the infant are hosts for the parasites. One of her daughters died in 2007 of the same disease. Malou, the mother, said that they were infected when they came in contact with the water around them. The river that surrounds the place serves as their source of drinking water, a place where they wash clothes and a playground for their children. According to the data gathered by the city health office from snail specimens that lived in the waters of Basa, the place where they play, wash and
Yellow fever is a horrible disease for those who begin to show symptoms, and while that number is low, of those who do become ill 50% die; only after having two rounds ...
The everyday death of man is a show for the angels. Our hero worm represents death and people are the actors. The worm of death is from the Phylum Nematoda. Many roundworms cause diseases in humans, which can lead to death. I have, however, reason to believe this is actually the blood fluke, Schistosoma of the Class Trematoda in Phylum Platyhelminthes.
This disease may be on the brink of being eradicated entirely but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the grossest things that anyone has ever seen. The parasite enters the body via unsafe drinking water. When people drink water infected with water fleas that have have been hosting the larvae of the parasite. There are no symptoms, to begin with, but about one year later, blisters on the feet or legs begin to develop and then the adult fully developed worm crawls out of the host body over a period of a few weeks. It’s said that the pain is intense and can incapacitate a person for weeks at a time. The pain can also continue for months after the infection. The parasite needs to infect a person at least once a year in order to continue. There were an estimated 3.5 million cases in 1986 but the disease has been greatly reduced over time and only 22 cases were reported in 2015. This disease will probably be the first parasitic disease to be completely eradicated in humans.
When a deadly disease come to mind, one may think of Ebola or MERS, but for centuries—before either of those diseases were born—Yellow Fever wreaked havoc as one of the most deadly and rapidly spreading diseases. Unlike many illnesses associated with age or weakness, Yellow Fever affects seemingly healthy people; mostly men who work outdoors especially in tropical environments (i.e. loggers, farmers, construction workers) (“Yellow Fever” Gale Encyclopedia). This is because yellow fever—a virus—is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. Although it has been mostly eradicated from North America and Europe, millions of people are at risk to yellow fever every day, mostly in Sub-Saharan Equatorial Africa or South America (“Yellow Fever” World
The seventh major case of Endangered Specie. Specific species of mosquito play host to one phase of various disease organisms they are the cause of major diseases that lead to human compilation. Most people don’t find it wrong to wipe the entire mosquito species in other to prevent human diseases such as sleeping sick, malaria, and human
In the Nepal’s example on the web, the child sickness was due to lack of education on food hygiene and lack of infrastructure (sanitation and drinking water). Thus, teaching the mother about treating water before drinking and the importance of hygiene in handling aliments would prevent the child diarrhea episode and even save the other son that died in the past from this disease.
Clinic Staff, Mayo. "Diseases and Conditions Plague."Mayo Clinic. N.p., 26 Mar 2013. Web. 14 Apr 2014. .
This paper includes an understanding about the parasitic roundworm called trichinella. It gives detail of the disease, its transmission and source. Emphasizing how it effects the body, further explaining the epidemiology and how the parasite poses a threat. Also providing an overview of the various types of transmission, how it obscures the human body, and informs one about the symptoms that occurs with the ingestion of trichinella. This paper also addresses the various diagnostic procedures and the treatment required in order to treat Trichinellosis. This, emerging the complex world of the most common type of trichinella species called Trichinella spiralis. In addition, it raises awareness of the health risks and possible outcomes that can come along when the parasites begins migrating throughout the body.
During the daytime, bugs hide in crevices of walls and roofs & at night kissing bugs develop into adults after a series of immature life stages which are called nymphs & both nymphs and adults engage in blood feeding behavior. Feeding of bugs mostly on diverse wild and domestic animals like wild rodents, other wild mammals, and domestic dogs. Most of the species of animals on which kissing bugs feed can serve as a source of parasite infection to the bug. where can find T.Cruzi parasite 3. Given the behavior and ecology of this insect, what are some factors that could cause the incidence of Chagas disease to increase in Central and South America in areas like the banana plantation, and why?
Malaria (also called biduoterian fever, blackwater fever, falciparum malaria, plasmodium, Quartan malaria, and tertian malaria) is one of the most infectious and most common diseases in the world. This serious, sometimes-fatal disease is caused by a parasite that is carried by a certain species of mosquito called the Anopheles. It claims more lives every year than any other transmissible disease except tuberculosis. Every year, five hundred million adults and children (around nine percent of the world’s population) contract the disease and of these, one hundred million people die. Children are more susceptible to the disease than adults, and in Africa, where ninety percent of the world’s cases occur and where eighty percent of the cases are treated at home, one in twenty children die of the disease before they reach the age of five. Pregnant women are also more vulnerable to disease and in certain parts of Africa, they are four times as likely to contract the disease and only half as likely to survive it.
From as early as we know epidemics and plagues have drastically affected mankind all over the world. With no regard to race, creed, religion, gender, social class or economic status, they have ravaged and devastated the human race across all continents. Small Pox, one these voracious and merciless diseases, has had its hand in this devastation. The highly contagious disease is responsible for the death of hundreds of millions of people over thousands of years with three hundred million of those deaths, coming from the 20th century alone (Carrell, 2004).
The symptoms were blisters of the skins with puss and bleeding with high fever. The government was very aware and thought they had a vaccine but the micro-organism morphed into another pathogen that was airborn and the previous vaccine was no
Alchon, S.A. 2003. A pest in the land: New World epidemics in a global perspective. Albuquerque: university of New Mexico Press.
Water-borne transmission refers to diseases that are acquired via usually contaminated freshwater. Infection occurs during bathing, swimming, drinking, preparing of food, or in the consumption of food that has been infected with a water-borne pathogen. Most of water-borne pathogens are protozoa, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Common examples of water-borne pathogens are Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio cholerae, and Legionella pneumophila, along with man...
Dr. S.M. Shamim ul Moula, “Fighting Disease” May 9, 2001 African Networks for health research and development; retrieved Dec. 9, 2003 http://www.afronets.org/archive/200105/msg00035.php