Devastating Diseases: Going back to history

[Zhuge_Liang]

Discussion about the bubonic plague.

Introduction:
Historical Diseases are so deadly. You don't know what it is, where it came from and where it will strike next. No matter how stong your faith is, you'll never be safe.

One is the Bubonic Plague...

 

[Julian Delphiki]

And meaning of this post was what .. to inform us that there have been diseases before current time ?

 

[Zhuge_Liang]

History discussion, not what you're saying...

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Intent of your OP was not too clear, that's what i meant.

PS. don't forget diseases that Europeans brought to Americas.

 

[cthom]

there is a slightly controversial view by one scientist (can't remember who) that the plague was actually anthrax. i'm not too keen on any plague tbh.

 

[Brighteye]

Cholera, Typhoid and tuberculosis.
Malaria, various fevers, infections... and the point is?

 

[West 36]

What I'm more concerned about is the smiley face that begins the title of this topic, as the only devastating disease I found funny was the plauge in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

 

[sydhe]

The Plague of Justinian is thought to be bubonic plague as well. The Black Death does seem consistent with bubonic plague, and hit China a decade or two before it hit Europe. There was a major epidemic during the reign of Marcus Aurelius that killed both him and his co-emperor; it may have been smallpox but I don't know if people are really sure.

 

[Tee Kay]

The most recent Bubonic Plague outbreak was in the early 20th century, which is not very long ago (Honolulu's Chinatown was burnt down as a somewhat extreme quarantine measure). There are still bubonic plague cases and many plague reservoirs (China, western United States, Brazil, Africa, Central Asia, etc). We don't have a real cure for it (treatment with anti-biotics often work though) nor do we have a vaccine for it (stopped making it in 1990s because of cost).

Plague outbreaks tend to coincide with changes in weather patterns, which cause plague to leave its natural reservoir. The Plague of Justinian was believed to arrive from reservoirs in Africa during a time of climatic upheavals. Plague spread quickly along trade routes, and the Third Pandemic of the late 20th century saw plague spread around the world quickly along shipping lanes.

 

[sydhe]

I thought they still gave vaccines to people who were traveling abroad.

 

[Tee Kay]

Well there's still a stock of vaccine but they stopped making them.

 

[Zhuge_Liang]

Why did they stopped it?

 

[Tee Kay]

It was ineffective and expensive to make.

 

[Zhuge_Liang]

As far as I know, smallpox was wiped out in this earth, am I right?

 

[innonimatu]

As far as I know, smallpox was wiped out in this earth, am I right?

A few laboratories are still clinging to samples. I would rather see it entirely destroyed, but there seems to be a problem if trust.

 

[Zhuge_Liang]

You mean smallpox is still a possible cause of plagues?

 

[North King]

You mean smallpox is still a possible cause of plagues?

If you mean recently, no. We'd recognize it. Moreover, it's [supposed to be] under very secure guard.

If you mean in the future, unfortunately, yes.

 

[Zhuge_Liang]

I thought smallpox have a vaccine?

 

[cubsfan6506]

there is a slightly controversial view by one scientist (can't remember who) that the plague was actually anthrax. i'm not too keen on any plague tbh.

That scientis would be a moron because anthrax isn't contagious.

 

[cubsfan6506]

I thought smallpox have a vaccine?

Yeah but breaking the vaccine is child's play. Just insert a pair of IL-4 genes into it and you have vaccine proof small pox. The truth is the russians produced weapons grade small pox in massive numbers. Their strain is said to kill 100%. Furthermore to save money the Disease place in Switzerland got rid of most of the small pox vaccine to save a paltry sum of 30K a year. Theirs only about ten thousand vaccines left.

My personal nightmare disease however is mutated form of ebola reston. Ebola reston is a strain fo Ebola that is as contagious as the cold but currently can't infect humans.