These Creepy Diseases from History Are Still Around Today
Measles, scurvy, typhoid fever, the plague -
we think of these diseases as a thing of the past. We don’t hear about
them in the news and don’t know many people suffering from these
ailments, so we assume that they’re no longer a threat. And while it’s
true that none of these diseases are causing worldwide pandemics like
they frequently did in the past, it doesn’t mean that they’re completely
gone from the face of the earth.
In fact, all four of the diseases we
mentioned at the beginning are making many people miserable or worse to
this day. And they’re not the only ones on that list either - we discuss
7 such creepy ancient diseases below.
1. Measles
Measles is a highly contagious infection
caused by the Measles morbillivirus. It manifests itself through a sore
throat, cough, fever, red eyes, and a tell-tale rash that covers the
entire body. But before these first symptoms appear, the person is
already contagious for 4 days and could be unknowingly infecting people.
This explains why so many recent outbreaks have occurred in close-knit
communities, mostly in areas where the MMR vaccination that stops the
virus is unavailable or vaccinations are declined.
In recent years, measles has reemerged in many countries, including
those where it was believed to be eliminated like the USA and certain
European countries. The biggest measles outbreak since 1992 occurred in
the US in 2019, with 1249 measles cases reported, 89% of which have
occurred in unvaccinated individuals.
Unfortunately, measles isn’t the harmless flu-like condition many people
believe it to be; studies point out that it is a leading cause of
mortality in children below the age of 5. Survivors of measles,
especially children, may deal with complications like deafness, vision
loss, and brain damage.
2. Mumps
Mumps is another one of those highly
transmissible diseases that’s actually still quite common both in the US
and abroad. Even though vaccinations and quarantine regulations usually
help limit outbreaks of mumps, there are still thousands of cases
reported in the USA every year.
The majority of these outbreaks occur at schools, colleges, and military
posts, or any other place where a large population works and lives
together. Community-related and workplace-related outbreaks are also
occasionally recorded.
Like measles, mumps is contagious for days and sometimes weeks before
symptoms occur. The condition starts with flu-like symptoms. Over the
next two days, there's swelling in one or both of the salivary glands,
which restricts movement of the neck and makes swallowing painful. Most
people recover from mumps, but complications are common and sometimes
severe. These include hearing loss, meningitis, encephalitis,
miscarriage, and severe testicular pain that could result in testicular
atrophy.
3. Plague
What previous generations all defined as
the plague is in reality three different types of the same disease
caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. They are the bubonic,
septicemic, and pneumonic plagues. The infamous Black Death that claimed
the lives of 200 million people in 14th-century Europe and North Africa
was caused by the bubonic plague, the least deadly of the three.
If left untreated, 30-60% of bubonic plague patients die, but the
mortality rates of both the septicemic and the pneumonic plague
varieties are almost total and sometimes occur on the same day a person
is presented with symptoms. Despite all the medical efforts to eradicate
these deadly and terrifying illnesses, small outbreaks of the plague
are recorded worldwide every year.
In recent years, most plague cases occurred in the Democratic Republic
of Congo and Madagascar. But according to the CDC, 1-17 people are
diagnosed with bubonic or septicemic plague in the United States
annually. The disease is spread through flea bites, infected rodents, or
contact with dead animals.
Patients first develop a fever, malaise, and painful and swollen lymph
nodes. Urgent antibiotic treatment is essential in any suspected cases,
but if caught too late, nothing can be done to stop this deadly illness.
4. Scurvy
Scurvy is known as the disease plaguing
(pardon the pun) sailors too long at sea. However, even we land people
can easily develop it today. The condition manifests itself through
bruising and bleeding around the hair follicles on the body, bleeding
and swollen gums, tooth loss, and impaired wound healing. These symptoms
can develop just after a few months of a vitamin C deficient diet.
If you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, you’re very unlikely to
develop a vitamin C deficiency. But access to fresh produce is not a
given, even in developed countries like the UK and the US. In fact, as
many as 17% of the low-income population in the US suffer from scurvy
according to a 2009 report by the CDC. A vitamin C supplement can fix
the symptoms of scurvy very fast, but unfortunately, the condition is
often misdiagnosed, as even many doctors believe it to be rarer than it
really is.
This disease was known to haunt sailors because it is hard to keep
produce on a ship for months, and there's usually a shortage of these
types of foods on long trips.
5. Typhoid
You may be familiar with typhoid fever as
the disease that terrorized America in the 19th and 20th centuries. The
story of Typhoid Mary, an asymptomatic cook who unknowingly spread the
disease to 50 people in New York City, became infamous, but we often
dismiss this cautionary tale as outdated. Meanwhile, typhoid fever
continues to be a major health concern in many regions of the world.
But what is typhoid fever? To put it simply, it is a bacterial infection
caused by Salmonella typhi. Ingesting food and water contaminated by
the bacterium develop high fever and diarrhea that evolve into delirium
and death, if left untreated. Antibiotics are effective at eliminating
the bacterium, and hygienic practices and water clarification help
prevent the spread of the disease.
But with the rising problems of access to clean water in many areas of
the world and antibiotic resistance make it a bigger threat than you’d
think. In fact, almost 6,000 cases of typhoid fever are recorded every
year in the US. 75% of American typhoid patients got the vaccine
overseas. So, if you’re planning on traveling abroad to a high-risk
area, a typhoid vaccination is highly recommended.
6. Leprosy
What do you know about leprosy? Most people
are vaguely familiar with the practice of isolating those afflicted by
leprosy on islands or other remote areas. And make no mistake, leprosy
colonies are not only a Medieval practice. The infamous Kalaupapa
leprosy colony in Hawaii is home to a group of people who were exiled
there in the 1960s even today. As for the disease itself, it’s also
alive and kicking, despite global attempts at eradicating the disease.
In the US, 100-200 new cases of leprosy are diagnosed every year and
thousands of people suffering from the disease live in the US. But you
wouldn’t know that because it was renamed as Hansen’s disease due to the
negative social connotation.
Leprosy is a mycobacterial infection caused by M. leprae and M.
lepromatosis that damages the nervous system, the skin, the respiratory
system. It often attacks the eyes and the nose, and it can be badly
disfiguring. Untreated, Hansen’s disease results in irreversible nerve
damage, limb paralysis, and blindness. Luckily, the ailment responds
well to treatment and renders those affected by it not contagious.
Helpful fact: you could get leprosy from armadillos, which carry the
disease.
7. Syphilis
Some of the most famous historical figures
had this disease: Henry VIII, Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Christopher
Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, and Leo Tolstoy are just a few names on that
list. Even though antibiotic treatment dramatically reduced its spread
all around the world, the creepy STD is actually on the rise.
Data from the World Health Organization suggests that 6.3 million new
cases of syphilis are recorded annually. The symptoms of this infection
caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium vary from person to person,
which makes it difficult to diagnose. In some people, symptoms only
appear 90 days after exposure and could be hardly noticeable: a painless
rash in the mouth or the nether regions, fever, and fatigue.
T
These symptoms can worsen fast and result in paralysis and organ damage.
Alternatively, they stay dormant for decades, but in that time, the
person will be able to transmit the disease to others. Early diagnosis,
treatment, and STD awareness are the best methods of fighting this
disease.