5 Existing Viruses That Could Become Epidemics

All viruses are scary, but some are worse than others. These current and existing viruses could cause some serious problems and could very well become epidemics if left untreated.

H1N1: There is some debate whether the H1N1 flu virus has already reached epidemic status or not. In some parts of the world, this particular strain of flu has wreaked havoc and caused many within the population to die or suffer as a result of the virus. In other parts of the world, this virus hasn’t caused much trouble at all. With the introduction of the vaccination last year, this has been kept under control for the most part. This is however believed to be the type of virus that doesn’t just strike during cold and flu season, so it is believed that new cases may pop up even in the warmer months which is rather unusual.

Bird Flu: Though you haven’t heard as much about this virus in recent years, it is still out there and it does exist. A few years back, this particular virus was causing a major problem and was deemed with this name. The actual name of it is the Avian H5N1 and it caused some real problems in parts of the world such as China. There was a big scare to even head to these countries for awhile and though these have died down, the fear of this particular type of virus has not. It is still present and could turn into a major issue at some point in time if left untreated, perhaps even an epidemic.

Measles: Here’s the terrible part of this potential epidemic—it is very preventable but many may not be taking the necessary steps. When all the information came out to new parents about the potential dangers of the MMR shot and its alleged link to autism, the overall distribution of this vaccine went down. Measles is usually a virus that is not an issue as it is covered in the MMR shot, but with fewer kids receiving this vaccination it could very well become a problem. With new information coming out that dispel these claims, it is hopeful that parents will get their kids vaccinated and that this virus will not turn into an epidemic.

HIV: Though it isn’t anything new, it is still very current. AIDS got so much attention in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but the light seems to have faded away a bit. With less attention on HIV and the steps to prevent it, some worry about it becoming an epidemic based on lack of education. Though most people know the potential risks of unprotected sex, they also think that they are dealing with safe partners. If the education doesn’t keep up on the risks for this virus, some experts worry that this could turn into a full fledged epidemic.

H3N2 Flu: This is another strain of the flu that happens to be very similar in nature to the H1N1 virus. The issue with this is that it is not as well known as H1N1because it has only hit certain areas of the world. It is believed that this could pick up in incidences and start to really affect parts of the population. As it is a newer strain of the flu much like the H1N1 virus, the problem is that it is not covered in current flu vaccines that are made and given out each year. So while people turn to these vaccinations for protection against the flu, they are not exempt from newer strains such as the H3N2. This is where it is believed that a problem may come to be.

These viruses are on the watch list and in some cases more education is simply required. Hopefully with a focus on these, they will never turn into the epidemics that some worry about.
M. M. Frederick writes about how to find the right program for a Master of Public Health.