Unit 9: Topic 2 - Diseases Flashcards
Heart Disease
A range of conditions that affect the heart, including coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms. In the 20th century, the rate of heart disease increased significantly due to a number of factors, including population growth, aging, and the rise of risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diets, and sedentary lifestyles. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, accounting for more than 17 million deaths per year.
Tuberculosis
TB is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs and is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. During the first half of the 20th century, the disease spread rapidly due to a combination of factors, including urbanization, poverty, and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the bacterium. The advent of antibiotics in the 1940s provided a new tool for treating TB, but the disease continued to pose a significant threat, particularly in developing countries so, in 1974, the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Programme was formed. According to the World Health Organization, TB caused an estimated 1.4 million deaths in 2020, making it one of the top 10 causes of death globally.
Malaria
Malaria is a parasitic disease that is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes and can cause severe illness and death. The discovery of antimalarial drugs in the 1940s and 1950s, along with the widespread use of insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying, led to a significant decline in malaria cases and deaths, however, the disease remained a major challenge in many developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Global efforts to control and eradicate malaria intensified, including the launch of the Roll Back Malaria initiative in 1998. Despite these efforts, malaria continues to pose a significant public health challenge, with an estimated 229 million cases and 409,000 deaths reported in 2020, according to the World Health Organization.
Cholera
Cholera is a bacterial disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration and is spread through contaminated water and food. The discovery of an effective vaccine and the development of oral rehydration therapy in the latter part of the 20th century provided new tools for preventing and treating the disease.
In response to the ongoing threat posed by cholera, the international community has launched a number of efforts to control and prevent the disease, including the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, which was established in 2010. According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 1.3 million to 4 million cases of cholera and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths from the disease each year. The majority of these cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
1918 Flu Epidemic
The 1918 flu epidemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was a global pandemic of influenza that occurred from 1918 to 1919. The 1918 flu was particularly virulent and caused high rates of morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that the virus infected up to 500 million people globally, or roughly one-third of the world’s population at the time, and caused an estimated 50 million to 100 million deaths.
The 1918 flu epidemic was a major public health crisis and had far-reaching impacts on society. It resulted in changes in public health practices, including an increased emphasis on disease surveillance and control, and led to the development of new treatments and vaccines for influenza. The experience of the 1918 flu epidemic also raised awareness of the need for global collaboration and cooperation in addressing public health threats.
Ebola
Ebola is a viral disease that causes severe illness and death and is transmitted to humans through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or other infected humans. The first recorded outbreaks of Ebola occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Sudan in 1976 and have continued to occur in various parts of Africa.
The largest outbreak to date occurred in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, with cases reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. In response to the Ebola crisis, the international community launched a major effort to control and prevent the spread of the disease, including the deployment of healthcare workers, the development of new treatments and vaccines, and increased investment in public health systems in affected countries.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder that causes memory loss, difficulty communicating, and other cognitive problems. It is the most common cause of dementia and affects millions of people globally.
There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and treatments remain limited. As a result, the disease continues to have a significant impact on individuals, families, and healthcare systems, with the global economic cost of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias estimated to be over $1 trillion annually.
pandemic
A pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of a disease that affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population across a large geographical area. A pandemic occurs when a new strain of disease emerges that can spread rapidly from person to person and for which most people have no immunity. Examples of pandemics in history include the Spanish Flu in 1918-1919, the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009-2010, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin was a medical researcher and virologist best known for his development of the oral polio vaccine. In the late 1950s, Sabin’s oral polio vaccine was tested and found to be safe and effective, and it was widely distributed in the United States and other countries. The oral polio vaccine quickly replaced the injectable polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk, and it is still widely used today, with the World Health Organization estimating that it has prevented over 16 million cases of polio and over 250,000 deaths since its introduction.
Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization that provides medical aid to people affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, and other emergencies. The organization was founded in 1971 by a group of French doctors and journalists in response to the needs of refugees in war-torn parts of the world. MSF operates in more than 70 countries around the world, providing medical care, health services, and support to populations in need.
antiretroviral
Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are medications used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). ARV drugs work by slowing down the replication of the virus in the body, allowing the immune system to recover and preventing the progression of HIV to AIDS. The use of ARV drugs has revolutionized the treatment of HIV and AIDS, transforming it from a fatal disease to a chronic, manageable condition.
heart transplant
A surgical procedure in which a person’s damaged or diseased heart is replaced with a healthy heart from a donor. The procedure is typically performed as a last resort for people with heart failure or other life-threatening heart conditions that cannot be treated effectively with other treatments.
Christian Bernard
Christian Barnard, a South African cardiac surgeon, performed the first successful human heart transplant in 1967. Prior to his pioneering work, heart transplantation was considered a risky and experimental procedure with very low chances of success.
Robert Jarvik
Dr. Robert Jarvik, an American physician and medical researcher, is widely credited with inventing the first successful artificial heart, called the Jarvik-7 heart. The Jarvik-7 heart was implanted in a patient for the first time in 1982, marking a major milestone in the development of artificial hearts and the treatment of heart failure.
artificial heart
The artificial heart, developed by Dr. Robert Jarvik, was designed to be a temporary measure to support patients with end-stage heart failure until a heart transplant could be performed. The Jarvik-7 heart was made of lightweight, biocompatible materials and was powered by an external driver, which pumped blood through the device and into the patient’s bloodstream.
