The World Health Organization(WHO) reported today that the E. coli bacteria is responsible for a deadly outbreak that has left 18 dead and sickened more than 1, 500 people in Europe, including 470 people who have developed a rare kidney failure complication.
E. coli is normally found in the human gastrointestinal tract and exists as strains, some of which are responsible for diarrheal diseases. The symptoms are worse in children and older people and especially in people who have another illness. E. coli infection is more common during the summer months and in northern states.
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Turns out there are two mutant strains of the E. coli bacteria, with aggressive genes that could explain why the Europe-wide outbreak appears to be so massive and dangerous, the agency said.
Researchers have been unable to distinguish the cause of the illness, which has hit at least 9 European countries and prompted Russia to extend a ban on vegetables to the entire European Union.
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German officials have warned people not to eat lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. WHO also recommends people wash their hands before eating or cooking food, separating raw and cooked meat from other foods and washing fruits and vegetables, especially if eaten raw.
The outbreak is already considered the third-largest involving E. coli in recent world history and it may be the deadliest.
Click the next page to see what other outbreaks have made the world go crazy.
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The Smallpox Epidemic:
For centuries, smallpox affected political and social agendas. It has been killing humans for over two thousand years until 1796 in Euorpe and Asia. The disease caused fevers, body aches and a rash that turns from fluid-filled bumps and scabs into permanent, deep scars. In the 20th century, the WHO (World Health Organization) estimated about 300-500 million deaths.
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The Great White Plague:
During the 1600s, the disease plagued the population of Euope for over 200 years. The first sign of the plague was swellings in the groin or the armpits. The average time of death from the first sympton was between four to seven days. Only 50 percent and 75 percent of who caught the disease died.
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AIDS:
In 1981, the world witnessed the global effect of AIDS. AIDS, an acquired immune deficiency system, is caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. The virus is able to spread through contact with blood, semen and various other bodily fluids and damages the human immune system. Currently, there are 33.2 million people that are HIV-positive and 2.1 million people died in 2007 alone.
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The Spanish Flu:
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus. The pandemic lasted from June 1918 to December 1920, killing an estimated 50 million to 100 million people around the world. The Spanish flu struck so suddenly and severely that many of its victims died within hours of coming down with their first symptoms of extreme fatigue, fever and headache.
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The Black Death:
The plague peak in Europe between 1348 and 1350. It traveled from its bubonic form on fleas and rats and through the air into its pneumonic form. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 percent – 60 percent of Europe’s population.
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Malaria Outbreaks:
Malaria has been around for over 4,000 years. The disease is passed to humans when an infected mosquito feeds on human blood and the microbes grow inside the red blood cells, destroying them along the way.
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The Plague of Justinian:
The Plague of Justinian in AD 541–542 is the first known attack on record and marks the first firmly recorded pattern of bubonic plague. It is estimated that the Plague of Justinian killed as many as 100 million people across the world.
