15 diseases you thought were gone – but aren’t

Yes, this is the same Black Death that swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing an estimated 25 million people. But a small number of cases of bubonic or septicaemic plague pop up around the world each year. Caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, the plague is transmitted via flea bites or contact with infected rodents or dead animals, and causes fever, weakness and excruciatingly swollen lymph nodes. Septicaemic plague also causes a blood infection, making skin and tissue turn black and die. Cases are rare today because sanitation and hygiene are so much better than they were in medieval times. If caught early, antibiotics are effective, but if left untreated, the plague has a mortality rate of 30 to 60 per cent – and as high as 100 per cent for pneumonic plague.

How dangerous can a cough be? Extremely. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It starts out like a traditional cold but then leads to a cough so severe that it causes vomiting, a red or blue face, and extreme fatigue. It is characterised by a ‘whoop’ sound as the person afflicted with it gasps for air. Babies under two months old are at the most risk of dying from it because they are too young to be vaccinated. Doctors recommend that pregnant women get a booster shot along with anyone else who will be in close contact with an infant – such as grandparents and caregivers – since the vaccine’s effectiveness may have worn off over time.

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This highly contagious disease is spread through the air or by direct contact with someone who has it, and people can infect others unknowingly for up to four days before the tell-tale, full-body rash appears. In addition to the rash, symptoms include a high fever, a sore throat, red eyes and white bumps in the mouth; complications can include deafness, brain damage and death, especially in very young children.

Transmitted by infected mosquitoes, yellow fever starts out with flu-like symptoms and can lead to a very high fever, internal bleeding, seizures, organ failure and possibly death. While a vaccine for yellow fever exists, there often isn’t enough of it available when an outbreak occurs, which is what happened in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2016. The most recent outbreak started in 2017 in the jungles of Brazil, near Rio and Sao Paolo.

Vaccines don’t last forever, which can explain why vaccinated university students sometimes get it. Mumps is spread through saliva, nasal mucous, and close contact with an infected person. Those who contract mumps will experience flu-like symptoms and a painful swelling of the salivary glands, but complications could include meningitis, encephalitis, miscarriage and hearing loss.

You might be shocked to learn that leprosy is still around, with new cases diagnosed each year. Now called Hansen’s disease, it is a bacterial infection that attacks the skin, peripheral nerves, upper respiratory tract, eyes and the lining of the nose. If it’s not treated, it can cause disfigurement, nerve damage, hand and foot paralysis and blindness. It sounds terrifying, but it responds well to multi-drug therapy, and after a few doses those infected are no longer contagious. An overwhelming majority of people are also naturally immune to the disease, according to livescience.com.

When you think of scurvy, you might think of the high seas and pirates – not people living in developed countries today. Yet it’s a surprisingly big problem in some populations, especially those who are poor, homeless, or mentally ill, and those who don’t have access to proper nutrition. So, what is scurvy, exactly? It’s characterised by swollen gums, tooth loss, anaemia, fatigue and a rash, and it’s caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency. While highly treatable, it is often misdiagnosed because it’s not on doctors’ radars.

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While you’re unlikely to find cholera in many developed nations, it is still a worldwide problem, afflicting people who live in areas with poor sanitation conditions and water treatment. Caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with faecal bacteria, cholera leads to violent diarrhoea and dehydration so severe that death can occur within hours. It is treatable with oral rehydration salts and IV fluids, and an oral vaccine is also available. Over the past decade, there have been outbreaks in Zimbabwe, Haiti and Cuba, though the biggest recent cholera crisis was in Yemen in 2017, during which one million people were infected.

A major health issue in the 19th and early 20th centuries, typhoid isn’t something you hear much about here anymore, though it’s still an enormous global problem; in fact 21.5 million people are infected every year. Spread through contaminated food and water, typhoid causes high fever, weakness, gastrointestinal problems and often a rash; if untreated, it is fatal for one in four people. A typhoid vaccine is recommended before travelling to a high-risk area, and antibiotics are prescribed to those infected. While antibiotics have been incredibly effective, typhoid has recently become resistant to some of them, worrying the medical community.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious, airborne disease that was a leading cause of death in the first half of the 20th century. Active TB is characterised by a week’s-long cough that often produces blood, chest pain, fever and fatigue; generally, treatment requires up to nine months of antibiotics. However, the independent, non-profit media organisation NPR reports, multi-drug-resistant TB is on the rise, and it is becoming a particularly big problem in Russia, India, the Philippines and South Africa.