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What is Ebola Virus Disease?

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe infectious disease illness caused by the Zaire ebolavirus.

18 Nov 2009

What is Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses can be transmitted from rodents to humans through inhalation of aerosols from the rodent's urine, saliva, or droppings.

18 Nov 2009

Mumps is a viral disease caused by the mumps virus. It causes fever, headache, body aches and muscular pain, fatigue and loss of appetite. These are followed by swelling of the parotid salivary glands, just in front of the ear. This can be on one or both sides. The swelling lasts from a week to 10 days, and it may be painful to chew or swallow during this time. Recovery is usually uncomplicated, and occurs within a few weeks.

18 Nov 2009

What is Rubella?

Rubella, also known as German measles, is an acute viral infection that usually affects children and young adults. It is a contagious condition that can be transmitted between humans via airborne droplets when infected individuals cough or sneeze.

18 Nov 2009

What is Onchocerciasis?

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is an infectious condition of the skin and eyes that is caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus.

18 Nov 2009

What is Trachoma?

Trachoma is an infection of the eyes by Chlamydia trachomatis and is the leading cause of preventable blindness.

18 Nov 2009

What is Leprosy?

Leprosy is a chronic infection caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.

18 Nov 2009

What is Lassa Fever?

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by an RNA virus of the arenavirus family. It is most common in a large region of West Africa, and is named after the Nigerian town where it was first discovered by Western medical professionals. It is animal-borne, and the vector is a species of rat named Mastomys natalensis. Besides Nigeria it is endemic in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It is also found sporadically in neighboring countries due to the distribution of the rat’s habitat over the whole region.

18 Nov 2009

What is Ross River Fever?

Ross River fever is an infectious disease caused by the Ross River virus that is spread by mosquitoes.

18 Nov 2009

What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral disease can be transmitted to human by mosquitoes and causes significant symptoms, such as arthralgia and fever. It was first described in 1952 when an outbreak in southern Tanzania was observed.

18 Nov 2009

What is Filariasis?

Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by thread-like nematodes (filariae) that belong to the roundworm superfamily filarioidea. These infestations are common in tropical countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, the western Pacific islands, Brazil and Guyana.

18 Nov 2009

What is Leishmaniasis?

Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease caused by a parasite called Leishmania donovanii. Sand flies of the Phlebotomus family spread these parasites through their bites. The different forms of human leishmaniasis include cutaneous, mucous and visceral leishmaniasis. The parasite affects the skin, the mucous membranes and the immune cells like macrophages throughout the body, resulting in severe damage and even death.

18 Nov 2009

What is Yellow Fever?

Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease that is usually transmitted by mosquitoes that carry the infection. It gets its name from its characteristic symptom of jaundice that some people with the disease experience.

18 Nov 2009

What is Schistosomiasis?

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, snail fever, or Katayama fever, is an infectious disease caused by parasitic worms of the genus Schistosoma.

18 Nov 2009

What is Chagas Disease?

Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a disease that is caught from infected triatomine bugs or "kissing bugs". The disease can cause serious damage to the heart and stomach.

18 Nov 2009

What is a Prion?

A prion is a small infectious particle composed of abnormally folded protein that causes progressive neurodegenerative conditions.

17 Nov 2009

What is Urethritis?

Urethritis is a health condition that involves inflammation of the urethra, as well as possible swelling and irritation in the area that can make it difficult for affected individuals to pass urine.

17 Nov 2009

What is Neuromodulation?

Neuromodulation is the process by which nervous activity is regulated by way of controlling the physiological levels of several classes of neurotransmitters.

17 Nov 2009

What Does the Large Intestine Do?

The large intestine is the second to last part of the digestive system—the final stage of the alimentary canal is the anus —in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste material from the body. This article is primarily about the human gut, though the information about its processes are directly applicable to most mammals.

17 Nov 2009

What is Glomerulonephritis?

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a condition in which the kidneys are inflamed. The glomeruli are the filtering mechanism of the kidneys. They consist of a tuft of highly coiled capillaries cupped in a double fold of membrane. Waste or toxic material is rapidly filtered out of the blood flowing through the capillaries, through the basal membrane of the glomerulus, and is removed into urine. All the necessary constituents of the blood are reabsorbed.

17 Nov 2009