After Disaster, Disease
The misery spawned by a natural disaster is compounded by an increased risk of infectious disease, particularly when water and sewer systems are damaged or destroyed. Key threats:
Diarrhea. Caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate water. Kills 2.2 million people worldwide annually, mostly young children.
Shigellosis. Severe bloody diarrhea caused by shigella bacteria. Spread as a result of poor hand-washing or infected water. Kills 1.1 million people annually.
Cholera. An acute intestinal infection caused by eating food or drinking water infected with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. Death can occur within hours if infection is left untreated.
Typhoid. Fever and severe headache caused by eating food or drinking water infected with Salmonella typhi bacteria. Infects 12.5 million people each year.
Malaria. A protozoan spread by mosquitoes causes debilitating fever, exhaustion, chills, and anemia. One of the most severe health problems worldwide, responsible for at least 2 million deaths annually.
Dengue fever. High fever, accompanied by bone, joint, and muscle pain, caused by mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Cases on the rise worldwide, with 20 million annually resulting in 24,000 deaths.
This story appears in the January 10, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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