Nerds Republic

In high school, you probably learned about how the bubonic plague took Europe by storm in the 14th century. What you probably don’t know, however, is that the plague is still out there — and it’s still taking lives.

The deadly disease recently decided to pay the United States a visit. Unfortunately, two people have died from the plague in Colorado over the past few years, and the second of those deaths occurred just three days ago.

Also known as the Black Death, one particularly terrible plague epidemic was responsible for approximately 200 million deaths in Europe between 1346 and 1353.

WelcomeImages.org / Wikimedia Commons

Due to unhygienic living conditions and a lack of antiseptics, hundreds of people died every day.

Cases of the bubonic plague have now started cropping up in Pueblo, Colorado. It has claimed two lives in the area since 2004.

Flickr / Ken Lund

Since the most recent victim succumbed to the disease earlier this week, people have begun worrying about how far the illness will spread.

Oddly enough, this is not the first time someone in Pueblo has died from this strange sickness.

Flickr / Jeffrey Beall

It claimed another life in 2004. Fleas, infected animals, and other non-human carriers can easily transmit the virus to healthy human hosts.

For more on this case, check out the video below:

(source: Pueblo County)

Another person in Boulder, Colorado, recently tested positive for the virus, so I think I’ll just avoid the Centennial State for a while.

It feels like humans spend every waking moment trying not to die. If you walk outside of your house, you have to avoid traffic, horrendous storms, sinkholes, and a thousand other factors that are more or less beyond your control. But if you stay inside to stay away from all of that, you have to avoid electrocution, collapsing ceilings, and a bevy of other household dangers. Simply put, staying alive is hard.

Once you duck all of those horrible accidents, you still have to worry about viral pathogens that could destroy you from the inside out. If you think you’re in the clear, pay attention to these ten outbreaks. They’ve caused mass listeria hysteria in certain parts of the United States, and they still might be waiting out there to get you.

1. Listeria

Flickr / U.S. Department of Agriculture

If you enjoy cantaloupe, you were probably pretty bummed out in 2011. Thanks to a contamination of melons from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado, 30 people died and 146 became ill during a listeria outbreak. According to the CDC, this outbreak was the worst food-borne illness in our country’s history.

Contagious: Not from person to person

Deadly: Yes

2. Legionnaires’ disease

Wikimedia Commons / CDC

In 1976, hundreds of people at a Legionnaire convention came down with a weird case of pneumonia caused by an air conditioning unit. Fast forward to a week ago in the Bronx, where dozens of men and women in various buildings came down with the same condition. Seven have already died, and over 60 are ill. This particular case of Legionnaires’ is still under investigation.

Contagious: No

Deadly: Yes

3. Mad cow disease

Flickr / Global Panorama

Named for the way the disease infects the brains of our bovine friends, this disease somehow made its way to the United States from the Great White North in the 2000s. Should a human being actually eat any cow-based products from an infected animal, that person is in for a deadly treat.

Contagious: Not from person to person

Deadly: Yes

4. Swine flu

Flickr / Camila Rudea Lopez

This viral strain of flu originates in pigs, but it does not necessarily cause infection in humans. Humans actually create antibodies more often than not when infected with H1N1. Some people, however, are not as lucky. The disease caused thousands of deaths until the outbreak was contained in 2010.

Contagious: Kinda sorta

Deadly: Yes

5. Bird flu

Flickr / Jacob Spinx

Think “swine flu,” but for birds. This strain is more harmful to our feathered friends than it is to us. Humans can catch it, but you have to try really hard and/or work with birds a lot to get it.

Contagious: You need to be around an infected bird or person for a bit to catch this, but yes

Deadly: Sure

6. Ebola

Flickr / Army Medicine

Last year’s Ebola epidemic is not over. Sure, we don’t hear any cases of it coming to U.S. soil anymore, but it’s still very much a problem in other parts of the world where disease prevention is almost non-existent.

Contagious: Very much so

Deadly: Yes, if not caught in time

7. Measles

Flickr / NIAID

Remember when you got your measles vaccine as a kid? Probably not, since you were a wee one, but thanks to vaccinations, measles are almost a thing of the past. But recently, parents following pseudoscience and anti-government beliefs decided to avoid vaccinating their children for whatever reason. Because of this, any unvaccinated child is now a carrier of this disease, which is probably what caused recent outbreaks in places like Disneyland. (Disneyland!) All for a disease that we can protect ourselves against.

Contagious: Very much so, but not as much if you vaccinate your children!

Deadly: Yes

8. Chikungunya

Flickr / CDC Global

Pronounced “chicken-goon-yuh,” this disease is more widespread in countries outside the States. Still, around 28 people per year are diagnosed with chikungunya, and it’s carried by mosquitos. It causes joint pain and fever, along with a few more minor symptoms. There are no known medications for chikungunya.

Contagious: Not between people

Deadly: No

9. Enterovirus

Flickr / AJC

Anywhere between 10 and 15 million people are infected with non-polio enterovirus each year. It doesn’t effect most people beyond a simple fever and body ache, but infants and those with weak immune systems can experience paralysis, brain infections, and other horrible symptoms.

Contagious: Yes

Deadly: Potentially

10. Pertussis

Flickr / Mike Mozart

There are outbreaks of this severe cough all the time, with thousands of deaths occurring each year in the developing world. However, vaccines and shots work wonders against it.

Contagious: Yes

Deadly: Yes

I really want to stay inside now to avoid these diseases. Sure, I have to contend with the stove, but I’ll take my chances.

For even more horrible diseases, check out these articles:

We all know about covering up when we’re outside, not only to protect our skin from sun damage, but also to avoid getting bitten by Lyme disease-carrying ticks. This disease can cause major, long-term health problems that stay with people for years, including everything from palsy, partial paralysis, and neurological problems to vertigo and cognitive issues. In short, it’s sneaky, it’s creepy, and it’s a major problem.

Yet if the disease is caught, especially in its early phases, it’s easily treatable. The trick is just knowing what to look for.

One of the most common early signs is a rash that radiates out from the site of the bite within a few days.

Facebook / Karen McGregor

This radial pattern is actually the bacteria spreading out from the bite. The rashes, seen here, take on a distinctive “bullseye” pattern.

A rash like this will appear from an infected bite about 70-80% of the time, so it’s a pretty good indicator.

Wikimedia Commons

However, not all Lyme-infected bites will result in a rash. Other early symptoms include flu-like symptoms, fatigue, fever, and joint stiffness.

Lyme is spread via deer ticks, and it’s caused by the Borelia bacteria.

Wikimedia Commons

The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites. If you’re going to be in thick brush, wear long pants and sleeves. Wearing light colors will help you spot ticks, too. After being in thickly wooded areas, do a thorough check for ticks. If you find any, remove them with a tweezer, and make sure to get the head and mandibles out. Removing any ticks quickly drastically decreases the chance of infection.

(via San Francisco Globe)

Don’t let the fear of Lyme disease prevent you from having fun outdoors this summer. However, you should remember that just like everything else, safety precautions need to be taken to ensure that the fun doesn’t get cut short!

For more information, you can check out any of the Lyme disease research and prevention organizations listed here, or talk to a doctor about Lyme disease prevention.

For more summer safety, check these articles out: