Nine deadly diseases that have been brought under control thanks to science

For many years, dangerous, fatal diseases have taken their lives. Some of them remained only on the pages of textbooks, while others are with us to this day. But already under control. Lifehacker compiled a list of the most dangerous diseases that science has managed to take under control.

Leprosy, or leprosy

Lepra was first mentioned in ancient sources. Patients were forced to isolate themselves at home and even wear a rattle or bell so that others could bypass them. They were required to wear clothing that would cover their face and body.

It is a chronic infectious disease caused by the acid-resistant bacillus bacillus. Transmitted through close contact, leprosy is fatal or disabling.

Its main symptoms are:

• loss of pigmentation and numbness of skin areas
• skin growths, thickening and dryness
• foot ulcers
• painful swelling on the face and ears
• loss of eyebrows and eyelashes
• muscle weakness
• expansion of nerves
• blurred vision up to blindness
• nosebleeds and nasal congestion

Solution

Leprue cannot be prevented, but in 1940 a drug was invented to stop its development. Dapsone does not cure, but stops the progression of the disease. In the 1960s, the use of combination drug therapy (CRT) was introduced. It still applies today. Rifampicin and clofazimine are used with dapsone. Treatment is 6 to 12 months. During this time, such treatment kills the bacillus and leads to recovery.

WHO has been issuing KLT worldwide to people with leprosy since 1995. The organization provides assistance to those who are disabled due to illness.

Effective treatment has stopped the spread of this disease. In 2000 leprosy excluded of the diseases that pose a threat to public health: the number of cases was less than 1 case per 10 people. And at the end of 000, the figure dropped to 2017 per 0,3 people.

Natural smallpox

Smallpox, or smallpox, is indeed a very contagious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. It is caused by two types of viruses: Variola major and Variola minor.

Smallpox could also be infected by contact with the patient's skin or with his personal items. Presumably the disease appeared 3000 years ago. Smallpox scars have even been found on the body of an Egyptian mummy. When infected, water-filled ulcers appear on the body. They then disappear leaving scars on the skin. Ulcers also appear on the mucous membranes, which causes their erosion.

The first symptoms are:

• temperature
• weakness
• headache

Solution

Smallpox often caused blindness. But in the XNUMXth century in Asia, the problem was solved by a preventive method. That is, a healthy person was injected with the virus. In Europe and the Russian Empire, this method began to be introduced only in the XNUMXth century. Pus taken from the pockmarks of patients was injected into the blood of people. This method was controversial enough, because some developed immunity, while others did not, and they died.

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In 1796, the English physician Edward Jenner took biomaterial from a milkmaid who had contracted the infection from a cow and inoculated an eight-year-old boy with it. At the injection site, smallpox appeared, but did not go further. Two years later, he опубликовал their observations.

Mass vaccination in England and a number of other countries started at the beginning of the 1967th century. But outbreaks continued to occur. The decision of the World Health Organization helped to stop the spread of smallpox around the world: in 1977, it announced the start of mass vaccination. The last recorded case of infection occurred in 1980 in Somalia, and in XNUMX, WHO officially announced the victory over the virus.

Spanish flu

The disease, which appeared during the First World War, infected 550 million people from 1918 to 1919. Of these, according to various estimates, from 50 to 100 million died. For the first time, the Spanish government announced a mass infection, and this gave the name of the disease. In fact, by that time, people were infected all over the world, but the military censorship did not allow talking about it.

The H1N1 flu, or Spanish flu, has spread due to war, crowding in camps, malnutrition and unsanitary conditions.

Symptoms

The Spanish flu was often diagnosed as cholera, dengue, or typhoid because the symptoms were different from other flu. These were bleeding from the mucous membranes and ears, movement disorders, hemorrhages in the eyes, paresis and depression. With an aggressive Spanish flu, pneumonia, coughing up blood, and blue discoloration of the skin were observed.

Solution

The end of the war, as well as the introduction of quarantine and sanitary measures, made it possible to reduce the incidence of diseases: patients were not allowed to contact people, mass events were prohibited, increased attention was paid to personal hygiene and disinfection, and masks were used. By the summer of 1919, the disease had disappeared.

Diphtheria

Outbreaks of diphtheria began in the XNUMXth century. Diphtheria bacillus, or Löffler's bacillus, is passed through the air. Already inside, it releases a toxin that affects the respiratory system. Less commonly transmitted by contact, such as using an infected towel.

Sometimes the disease ended in recovery, but there were enough deaths. In Europe and the USA at the end of the XNUMXth century from diphtheria were dying 50% infected. Serious epidemics of diphtheria have occurred in the recent past, for example, in the former republics of the USSR in the early 1990s.

Symptoms

The disease manifests itself within 2-5 days. Symptoms resemble a mild cold. But in difficult cases, they are serious:

• the mucous membrane of the throat and tonsils are covered with a dense gray film
• hoarseness and discomfort in the throat
• swollen glands
• breathing becomes difficult
• nasal discharge, fever and chills appear

If it enters the bloodstream, the infection can damage the heart and nervous system.

Solution

At the end of the 1891th century, the German scientist Emil von Behring made a serum with antitoxin. In 1901, he vaccinated children with it in a hospital in a Berlin clinic, and they recovered. But the effect was not one hundred percent. Bering developed the serum with his colleague Paul Ehrlich and in XNUMX received the Nobel Prize for its development.

French scientist Gaston Ramon developed a prophylactic serum in 1923. Since then, vaccination against diphtheria has begun. Highest peak of infection in Europe over the past decade was 2018, but even then only 82 people fell ill. However, the disease is still a problem in areas with a low percentage of vaccinated populations, such as in sub-Saharan Africa.

Polio

This viral disease affects the nervous system. Polio can be get infected through contaminated water or food, or from contact with a sick person (fecal-oral route).

In the middle of the 5th century, tens of thousands of children were infected annually in Europe and the USSR. These were mainly children under XNUMX years old.

Symptoms

Although polio is a deadly disease, it does not manifest itself in any way. In some cases, the symptoms are similar to the flu:

• cough
• heat
• headache
• nausea
• abdominal pain

These symptoms disappear after 10 days. However, there are also severe cases. During the week, the following are added to the cold symptoms:

• loss of reflexes
• severe muscle pain
• flaccid paralysis (very strong limb relaxation)

Polio is disabling. In one case out of 200, paralysis develops into an irreversible form. If the respiratory system is affected, paralysis leads to death.

Solution

There is no effective cure for this disease, but there is a vaccine. In 1952, the first version was developed by Jonas Salk. It was created on the basis of killed viruses. Jonas tested the vaccine on himself and his family.

The second oral version was developed by Albert Seibin. It was created from live, but weakened viruses. Later in the USSR based on the discovery of Seibin have created his own vaccine: its authors were Mikhail Chumakov and Anatoly Smorodintsev.

Mass vaccination helped end the widespread polio disease as early as the 1960s. Now, according to WHO, more than 80% of the territories on the planet released from the virus. However, cases of infection do not matter meet, more commonly in Africa and parts of Asia.

Plague

Plague takes many forms. The most common of these are bubonic, pulmonary, and septic. Until the XNUMXth century from the plague were dying from 96 to 100% infected. Plague is caused by one bacterium - the plague bacillus; carriers are fleas and rodents.

Symptoms

In the plague they different... With bubonic, the lymph nodes in the groin, armpits and neck are inflamed. They become sensitive and hard to the touch. Increase in size to a chicken egg. Also, bubonic plague is accompanied by muscle pain, headache, weakness, fever and chills.

Pneumonic plague, of course, affects the lungs. This form is considered the most dangerous type of disease, as it is quickly transmitted from person to person. The patient is constantly coughing up bloody sputum, it is hard for him to breathe, he is constantly nauseous, the temperature rises, the head and chest hurts. Pneumonic plague progresses rapidly and can be fatal within two days of infection.

In septic plague, the circulatory system is affected. Symptoms of the disease:

• heat
• chills and weakness
• diarrhea
• vomiting and abdominal pain
• bleeding from the nose, mouth, rectum
• subcutaneous hemorrhage
• gangrene and shock

Solution

The plague progresses very quickly, so you can get rid of it only in the early stages. Now less than 5000 people a year are infected with plague, and the death rate has dropped to 5-10%. Sick treat antibiotics and anti-plague serum.
Anyway experts count them.that the plague epidemic is unlikely to recur. This requires not only a new tenacious form of bacteria, but also reduced immunity in most of the world's population.

Measles

A very contagious and dangerous acute infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. Until the second half of the XNUMXth century, measles was very common, almost everyone tolerated it after reaching the age of 15. Every 2-3 years, a measles epidemic was recorded in the world, and every year from it was dying about 2,6 million people.

Symptoms

The development of the disease takes place in several stages. The first - from 10 to 14 days - is asymptomatic. The second lasts 2-3 days: there are sore throats, mild fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis.

The third stage is the most active. The body is covered with a rash of small, rarely convex red spots. The temperature rises - sometimes the fever reaches 40 C °, after which the rash begins to recede. Fever and respiratory tract damage can be fatal.

Possible complications:

• ear infection
• bronchitis
• laryngitis
• pneumonia
• encephalitis

If a pregnant woman becomes infected with measles, it can lead to low birth weight, premature birth, or even death during childbirth.

Solution

In 1963, microbiologist Maurice Hilleman developed vaccine. It was then transformed into an MMR vaccine. This drug helps to develop immunity not only to measles, but also to rubella and mumps. In Russia, he is included in the list binding preventive vaccinations. In 2017 measles vaccine in the first year of life got 85% of children around the world.

According to WHO statistics, during 2018 from measles died 140 thousand people. Most of them lived in developing countries, but there were also cases in developed countries. In the latter, the problem arose due to the increased frequency of refusal to vaccinate and, at the same time, a decrease in herd immunity.

Pertussis

Whooping cough is accompanied by a paroxysmal spasmodic cough. You can get infected with this disease at any age, but children under 2 years of age suffer most. For babies, this disease is fraught with death: in 2014, the world was fixed 160 pertussis deaths.

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The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets, and the bacterium Borde-Zhangu causes it.

Symptoms

Symptoms appear 7-10 days after infection. At first they resemble a common cold: runny nose, redness of the eyes, fever, cough. Symptoms get worse over the next two weeks. Sputum builds up in the airways, causing the cough to become uncontrollable. Sometimes, due to severe spasms, the face begins to turn red or blue, severe weakness and vomiting appear. In children under one year old can stop breathing, and in adults, from the intensity of coughing, even break the ribs.

Solution

In 1949, the first licensed pertussis vaccine was introduced... Today it is included in the immunization program in all countries of the world. Whooping cough in Russia plant three times during the first year of life and again at 18 months.

Although people continue to get sick, the mandatory vaccination has significantly reduced the statistics. So, until the 1950s in England and Wales whooping cough annually got sick more than 100 people, and in 000 - only about 2011.

Hepatitis A and B

The hepatitis A virus is infected through contaminated food or water, as well as through contact with an infected person. Hepatitis A is rare приводит to death (in 0,5% of cases). But if a person already has liver problems, the infection can develop into fulminant hepatitis, which has high mortality rates.

Hepatitis B is much more dangerous. Firstly, it can develop into chronic, and secondly, the mortality rate from it is higher. For example, in 2019 from hepatitis B in the world died 820 people. The virus is transmitted through blood and other biological fluids. You can get infected during sexual intercourse, with injections with non-sterile needles, through a cut. But most often it is transmitted perinatally from mother to child.