Plague has erupted periodically throughout most of human history. The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted by fleas found on many common mammals and through the air as victims develop respiratory symptoms and suffer from coughing spells. This easy transmission has made plague responsible for some of the highest death rates from any epidemic disease in history. "Plague, Second Edition" examines the disease from an epidemiological perspective.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, is becoming an increasing concern as tainted beef has caused deadly outbreaks of the disease around the world.
Lung cancer—the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung tissues—is the number one killer among cancer patients: Lung cancer alone accounts for 28.5 percent of all cancer-related deaths. Yet, in over 85 percent of the cases, the disease might have been prevented by eliminating its main cause: smoking. Lung cancer is especially deadly because it has no distinct, exclusive symptoms. And by the time it is detected, the disease is usually too advanced to cure.
A common viral infection, herpes, in its different forms, can produce cold sores and fever blisters on the mouth or genital sores. Although herpes cannot be cured, there are many treatment options available today to prevent its outbreaks and decrease its associated discomforts.
It is estimated that more than 500 million people throughout the world are infected with one of the six kinds of hepatitis viruses. Although hepatitis can be fatal, many people who are infected never show symptoms and don't realize they have the virus. This fact makes it easy for people to unknowingly spread the disease to others, especially through sexual contact. This book examines each of the six hepatitis viruses, focusing on how they cause infection, how they spread from one person to another and how our body's immune system tries to fight them.
