1.MAD COW DISEASE

Definition:is a serious disease that cause degeneration of brain and spinal cord cells(tissues) in cattle which is transmissible to man and can cause the same degeneration in man.

Cause:It is believed to be caused by prion protein. It is a lesser form of microbes which is all most,if not acellular(with out life). So heat can't kill prion ,as eating beef is its mode of transmission, avoiding infected cow beef is the best way of preventing it.

Presentations:it includes:memory lost,personality change,anxiety,depression,balance dysfunction, speech impairment,hallucination,seizure etc

Origin of name:It is called mad cow disease because it affects the cow's nervous system and make it to act strangely with difficulty in doing some things such as walking.

Other names: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Treatment: The disease has no known cure as of today.
2.GREEN MONKEY DISEASE.

Definition:it is an hemorrhagic fever that affects humans and some other primates

Cause: it is caused by Marburg virus.

Presentations:rashes(maculopapular,ecchymoses,hematomas),vomiting, diarrhoea,confusion, delirium, abdominal pain(belly pain),haematemesis(bloody vomit),bleeding from other parts of the body etc

Origin of name:it was named after Marburg city in Germany where laboratory workers were infected trying to study infected green monkeys.

Other names: includes:Marburg virus disease (MVD),Marburg hemorrhagic fever.

Treatment:it is basically supportive and symptomatic. Most sufferers of this disease die.

Note:Some people mistake it for Ebola but they are different with Ebola more severe.


3.CHRISTMAS DISEASE.

Definition:it's a rare genetic disease in which the blood doesn't clot properly

Cause:it is gene related which is usually carried on X chromosome which can be passed from parent(s) to offspring(s).Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y chromosome. If a male inherits the faulty gene on his X chromosome, he could develop Christmas disease. If a female inherits the faulty gene on one of her X chromosomes, she’ll be a carrier for Christmas disease and may pass the defective gene on to her children.

All daughters of a father who has the defective gene will be Christmas disease carriers. A father doesn’t pass the faulty gene on to his sons. A mother who carries the faulty gene has a 50 percent chance of having a son with Christmas disease and a 50 percent chance of having a daughter who’s a carrier of the disease.

Females are usually only carriers because they have two X chromosomes. If they inherit the faulty gene on one X chromosome, the other X chromosome produces sufficient factor IX for blood clotting. However, female carriers may produce less factor IX than women who aren’t carriers, which can result in mild abnormal bleeding after injuries or surgical procedures. A female can inherit Christmas disease if both of her parents pass the faulty gene on to her, although it’s rare for a female to have two parents with the faulty gene.

Presentation:The major presentation of this disease is bleeding with or without injury.


Origin of name:it is called Christmas disease because it was first discovered in Stephen Christmas

Other names:Haemophilia B .

Treatment: It is not curable,just supportive and symptomatic treatment.

4. SLEEPING SICKNESS.
Definition:it is a parasitic disease of humans and some other animals which is greatly known for its sleep-wake cycle altering ability in man.

Cause:it is caused by Trypanosoma brucei

Presentations:itching,headache, fever,swollen lymph nodes,anaemia,sleeping more in the day and staying awake at night,if not treated,weakness of the muscles,paralysis,aggression, coma etc may set in.

Origin of name: it is called sleeping sickness because of the altered sleep-wake cycle in the disease.

Other names:African trypanosomiasis.

Treatment:Unlike the previous mentioned diseases, it is curable.