Anthropology Essay

PBHE 526 Week 2: Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases
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Vector borne diseases are those infections that are passed on to the people when an infected insect-like mosquitos and ticks bite them. Because the arthropods that cause the vector diseases are cold-blooded, they are affected by the climatic changes and are sensitive to temperatures (Brownstein, 2016). Some of these diseases include the dengue fevers, West Niles Viruses, and malaria. Malaria is the most common vector bone diseases that come from an infected female anorphile mosquito that suck blood from the humans. Malaria is life-threatening as the parasite from the mosquito multiplies once it reaches the liver. The Plasmodium parasite destroys the red cells as they continue to multiply (Ahmed, 2011). Hence parasitic protozoa are the causative agent. Symptoms include the shaking chills and severe fever. Others include vomiting, diarrhea, and pain in the abdomen. Geographically, malaria is common in east and central Africa (Craig, Snow and Le Sueur, 2016). As a major cause of mortality, the disease has to be prevented through the use of mosquito nets and keeping the ground free from the dump.
Zoonotic Diseases are those that are caused by pathogens like viruses and bacteria. These diseases are passed directly from the animals to the humans through the use of media such as air or through fluids. Examples of this category include Leptospirosis, Bubonic Plague, Tetanus, and Tularaemia. The most dangerous zoonotic disease is Ebola (Whitty et al.

, 2014). This is a disease caused by the Ebola virus. If not treated, it can be quite fatal. The caustic agent of Ebola is the Ebola virus that causes Haemorrhagic Fever. The symptoms of Ebola are life-threatening and include severe fever and headache, muscle pains and fatigue as well as vomit. Abdominal pain and diarrhea are also common symptoms. Geographically, Ebola is mainly common in West African countries such as Sierra Leon, Liberia, and Guinea Bissau. Host factors of Ebola are those traits that are in people that affect the susceptibility of the disease. Some of them include cathepsin B and heat shock protein. Ebola has the potential of wiping point the entire population from a region as it spreads through the air. To minimize the risk, the spread of the disease has to be controlled. Also, people have to stay away from the infected. Both of these diseases are affected by climatic changes.

References
 Ahmed, I. (2011). The impact of climate change on the emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: Global perspective. J Enam Med Col,1 (2), 51-53. Retrieved from: http://www.banglajol.info/bd/index.php/JEMC/article/viewFile/11472/8387Brownstein, J. S., Rosen, H., Purdy, D., Miller, J. R., Merlino, M., Mostashari, F., & Fish, D. (2016). spatial analysis of West Nile virus: rapid risk assessment of an introduced vector-borne zoonosis. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 2(3), 157-164.
Craig, M. H., Snow, R. W., & Le Sueur, D. (2016). A climate-based distribution model of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. Parasitology today, 15(3), 105-111.
Whitty, C. J., Farrar, J., Ferguson, N., Edmunds, W. J., Piot, P., Leach, M., & Davies, S. C. (2014). Infectious disease: tough choices to reduce Ebola transmission. Nature News, 515(7526), 192.