getting a disease, though, fear not—there are plenty
to go around. I asked microbophilic infectious disease experts on
which pathogens they found most frightening. Here's
what they said:
1. Influenza: Most of the micobophile experts I talked to put this at
the top of their lists. William Schaffner, an infectious
disease specialist at Vanderbilt University School of
Medicine and a former president of the National
Infectious Disease Foundation, notes that the flu kills
36,000 people every year and sends about 200,000
to the hospital. "That is a very serious matter—and
one where we can offer ourselves and those around
us protection by getting vaccinated," he says.
Although many people think that the flu is only
dangerous for the very old, the very sick, and the
very young, that's not always true: Last season's flu
strain was especially bad for young adults. In a
typical year, only a third of Americans get flu
vaccines.
2. HPV: A staggering 79 million Americans—more
people than live in California, Texas, and Illinois
combined—are currently infected with human
papillomavirus, which can cause cancers of the
cervix, vulva, anus, head, and neck. Like measles,
HPV can be prevented with a vaccine. Although the
immunization—a series of three shots—is
recommended by the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices for preteens and teens, it's
underutilized: In 2013, just 38 percent of teen girls
and 14 percent of boys had received all three shots.
The CDC estimates that wider use of the vaccine
could prevent 21,000 HPV-related cancers every
year. "For Pete's sake," says Schaffner. "It's an anti-
cancer vaccine."
3. Measles: The CDC report that measles cases in the
United States have skyrocketed in 2014
Measles can cause serious illness in children;
infections can lead to pneumonia and, more rarely,
encephalitis. According to the CDC, about one in
every thousand children who contract measles will
die. Unlike Ebola, measles can be easily prevented
with a vaccine. This year's spike in cases has been
largely due to unvaccinated people. The CDC notes:
"90 percent of all measles cases in the United States
were in people who were not vaccinated or whose
vaccination status was unknown. Among the U.S.
residents who were not vaccinated, 85 percent were
religious, philosophical or personal reasons." To see
how many anti-vaxxers live near you, check out our
map.
4. Antibiotic-resistant infections: Recently, some
pathogens have evolved to withstand the drugs that
used to kill them. The World Health Organization
sees this threat as dire. "A post-antibiotic era, in
which common infections and minor injuries can kill,
far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a
very real possibility for the 21st century," the
organization notes. Urinary tract infections caused by
drug-resistant E. coli are increasingly common, as are
infections caused by methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—rates of which
doubled at academic hospitals between 2003 and
2008. The WHO notes that gonorrhea, which used to
respond well to common antibiotics, "may soon
become untreatable as no vaccines or new drugs are
in development." According to Stuart B. Levy, a
researcher and physician at Tufts University's Center
for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance, it's a
myth that only hospital patients get these scary
bugs. "These diseases—you could pick them up
anywhere," he says. "The threat is very real."
5. Foodborne illness: Pathogens in our food such as
E. coli, salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, and
norovirus annually sicken one in six Americans, send
128,000 to the hospital, and kill 3,000.
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines to stop these
bugs, so the best way to prevent their spread is by
carefully monitoring the food supply. Unfortunately,
cuts to both federal and state budgets have meant
that food inspectors are stretched thin. This year, the
Obama administration cut 262 positions from the US
Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection
Service. As my colleague Tom Philpott reported, the
USDA has proposed new rules that would allow
poultry plants to speed up production while
decreasing the number of inspectors. And it's not
just federal food inspection that's suffering: A report
( PDF) last year by the National Environmental Health
Association found decreasing salaries, high rates of
turnover, and frequent staff furloughs at state and
local agencies that inspect food. A sobering 60
percent of local agencies reported that they didn't
have enough resources to investigate outbreaks.
By Kiera Butler a senior editor at Mother Jones.
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