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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Forget Swine Flu— 5 Pandemics to Fear

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(Newser) – While the world panics over swine flu, many far more serious outbreaks lie in wait, reports Foreign Policy. Here are some you won’t see on TV—yet:  

  • Cholera: The deadly diarrheal infection is rampant in Africa, with infections shooting up 96% in 2006. The current outbreak in Zimbabwe has killed 4,200 since August.
  • Ebola: Unlikely to become a pandemic, but has an absolutely terrifying mortality rate.

  • Spinal meningitis: This infection of brain and spinal fluid has killed 1,900 people in three countries this year, mostly in Nigeria.
  • AIDS: China’s taken drastic measures to contain swine flu, but it’s done nearly nothing to stop AIDS, which killed 7,000 there in the first 9 months of last year.
  • Dengue fever: The risk has shot up recently, with two-fifths of the world’s population now at risk. A recent outbreak has infected 50,000 Bolivians.

Jose Manuel Heirbas, 12, infected by the dengue mosquito, is treated in a hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009.
Jose Manuel Heirbas, 12, infected by the dengue mosquito, is treated in a hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/Victor Rojas)
A person infected by cholera is helped onto a cart in Wanleweyn, Somalia Friday, April 3, 2009.
A person infected by cholera is helped onto a cart in Wanleweyn, Somalia Friday, April 3, 2009.   (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
Cholera patients lie on beds in Budiriro clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009.
Cholera patients lie on beds in Budiriro clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009.   (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
A nurse attends to a patient in Harare's main government hospital, as Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, not seen, visits the ward, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.
A nurse attends to a patient in Harare's main government hospital, as Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, not seen, visits the ward, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.   (AP Photo)
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TerrifiedCitizen
May 10, 09 4:05 PM CDT
There's loads of diseases and awful conditions in the medical encyclopedias that we can't cure and can only treat the patient for discomfort and symptoms. By comparison, there is really only a handful of the major diseases that we have under control. There really is only 'practicing' of medicine... Reply
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Laugh
May 11, 09 5:53 AM CDT
Yes, a healthy immune system is one's best defense.
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