The best way to prevent all of the following diseases is to get vaccinated by visiting your local healthcare provider.
Diphtheria is a serious illness caused by bacteria that make it hard to breathe and swallow. It can be very severe and sometimes life-threatening if not treated promptly. Symptoms include:
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Problems with the kidneys, heart, and nerves
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching objects that have been coughed or sneezed on
• By sharing utensils or cups with infected people
Interesting Fact
If 100 unvaccinated people were infected with diphtheria, 5 to 10 of them would die because of the infection.
Hepatitis A is a virus that causes liver disease. The liver processes nutrients, filters the blood, and fights infections. When the liver is infected, a patient can be sick for a few weeks or very ill for several months. Symptoms include:
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Dark urine
• Loss of appetite
• Yellowing skin
• Joint pain
• Fever
• Stomach pain
How It Spreads
• By not washing hands properly after going to the bathroom or changing diapers of an infected person
Interesting Fact
Today, most hepatitis A infections in the U.S. come from people who travel outside of the country where vaccines are not readily available.
Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can be mild or severe. Some people develop lifelong hepatitis B, which can lead to liver cancer, severe liver disease, and painful liver inflammation decades after infection. Symptoms of hepatitis B include:
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Rash
• Jaundice (yellowing eyes)
How It Spreads
• By exposure to blood and other bodily fluids from infected people – even amounts so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye
Interesting Fact
According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than HIV. Almost half of all liver cancers are caused by hepatitis B infections.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a bacteria that makes some people very sick. Hib can cause infections in the lungs, blood, brain, and spinal cord. Symptoms include:
• Severe headache
• Stiff neck
• Seizures
• Severe drowsiness
• Loss of consciousness
• Difficulty breathing
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By sharing silverware, cups, and other close contact
Interesting Fact
Adults are usually immune to Hib disease, but young children aren’t.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause many types of cancer. Symptoms of the virus are usually so mild that people don’t know they have it. Unfortunately, HPV can cause cancer 20+ years after infection. Common HPV-related cancers include:
• Cervical cancer
• Anal cancer
• Vaginal and vulvar cancers
• Head and neck cancers
How It Spreads
• Through sexual contact with an infected individual
• From infected mothers to their newborn babies
Interesting Fact
More than 90% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection. 20 million Americans have HPV, and 13 million more contract it yearly.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It can be severe, especially for babies and adults with weakened immune systems. In severe cases, it can even cause seizures and pneumonia. Symptoms include:
• Fever
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Rash all over
• Ear infection
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing By sharing silverware, cups, and other objects that go into the mouth
Interesting Fact
If 1 person with measles encounters 10 unvaccinated people, 9 of them will become infected.
Meningococcal disease is a rare but severe illness. It causes brain swelling that can be deadly. Although rare, it’s more common among college freshmen. Symptoms include:
• High fever
• Headache
• Very stiff neck
• Confusion
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Exhaustion
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By sharing silverware, cups, and other close contact
Interesting Fact
1 out of 7 people with the disease die, and 1 out of 5 develop a permanent disability.
Mumps is a disease that causes swelling in the salivary and parotid glands. In severe cases, it can cause swelling in the brain and spinal cord, which can be fatal. Symptoms include:
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Low-grade fever
• Headache
• Lost appetite
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By sharing silverware, cups, and other objects that go into the mouth
Interesting Fact
Because mumps can cause swelling in the brain lining and spinal cord, it used to be the most common cause of deafness.
Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a contagious respiratory disease. It is named after the “whooping” sound infected people make when breathing in after a coughing fit. Symptoms include:
• Fever
• Coughing that causes vomiting
• Coughs that end in a “whooping” sound
• Extreme tiredness
• Struggling to breath
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching objects that have been coughed or sneezed on
• By sharing utensils or cups with infected people
Interesting Fact
1 in 3 infected babies are hospitalized for care, and 1 in 100 of those babies die from the whooping cough.
Pneumococcal disease is caused by an infectious bacteria called pneumococcus. Pneumococcal causes painful and sometimes deadly infections in the lungs, blood, brain, sinuses, and ears. Symptoms include:
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Sensitivity to light
• Joint pain
• Chills
• Ear pain
• Sleeplessness
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By sharing silverware, cups, and other objects that go into the mouth
Interesting Fact
The pneumococcal bacteria causes pneumococcal pneumonia. Each year, more than 150,000 people are hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia.
Polio is a severe disease caused by a virus. In extreme cases, it can cause paralysis, brain infections, and death. Symptoms include:
• Sore throat
• Fever
• Tiredness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Stomach pain
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching or breathing in virus particles from a person’s bodily fluids
Interesting Fact
Up to 10 out of 100 people infected with polio die, and 1 out of 200-2,000 people become paralyzed. President Teddy Roosevelt was paralyzed from a polio infection.
Rotavirus is a painful stomach bug that infects many young children. Each year, 2.7 million children become sick with rotavirus. It’s symptoms include:
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching or breathing in virus particles that come from an infected person’s bodily fluids
Interesting Fact
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in children younger than 2.
Rubella is a viral sickness. In children, it is usually very mild. But in pregnant people, rubella harms their babies. Symptoms of rubella include:
• Fever
• Swollen head and neck glands
• Rash on the face
• Cold symptoms (runny nose, coughing, achy joints)
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching or breathing in virus particles that someone has left on an object
Interesting Fact
Rubella is especially dangerous for pregnant people. 85 out of 100 unvaccinated pregnant people infected with rubella had babies that were permanently hurt by the virus.
Influenza, known as the seasonal flu, is a respiratory virus that infects the lungs. The structure of the virus changes yearly, so new strains are always emerging. Unfortunately, the flu can be severe and even deadly in very young children and the elderly. Symptoms of the fly include:
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Nonproductive cough
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching or breathing in virus particles that another has coughed onto other objects
Interesting Fact
Because Australia’s winter happens during the U.S. summer, we can predict how severe the flu season will be based on Australia’s cases.
Tetanus is a deadly disease caused by bacteria found in soil. There is no cure for tetanus, and it requires long treatments to manage symptoms. Tetanus symptoms include:
• Stomach spasms
• Headaches
• Seizures
• Fevers
• Trouble swallowing
• Difficulty breathing
• Muscle stiffness
• Jaw cramping
How It Spreads
• By exposing wounds to soil or contaminated objects By cutting or piercing skin with nails, glass, or other sharp objects that have been on the ground
Interesting Fact
The average hospital stay length for tetanus varies, ranging from 30 days to many months. A boy who caught tetanus was hospitalized for 57 days, which cost about $811,000.
Varicella, also known as chickenpox, is a highly contagious disease. It can be severe, especially for babies and adults with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include:
• Painful, blister-like rash
• Itching
• Tiredness
• Fever
How It Spreads
• In the air through coughing or sneezing
• By touching or breathing in virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters
Interesting Fact
If one person with chickenpox attends a party with 20 unvaccinated people, 18 will become infected.