Dealing with anxiety, mental health during COVID-19

It seems like there’s a new development every day regarding the 2019 novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The evolving situation can cause anxiety and stress, and it’s important to protect your mental health during the uncertainty.

By now you have adjusted to staying at home, wearing a mask, and sanitizing. If you have not then you probably test Covid19 positive if you can even get a test.

One of the issues that create anxiety and can affect mental health is uncertainty, about when it will end, about do you have Covid19, and even about what covid19 (coronavirus (SARS 2019) The illness goes by a number of names creating more confusion.  Confusion is a bad mindset, and the politicians create even more of the same with Presidents, Governors, and local politicians contradicting opinions. Most people take with a grain of salt what political leaders say about Covid. Political leaders seem to ignore and even contradict scientific opinions from noted authorities in public health such as the CDC and NIH.

COVID-19 can cause anxiety and stress. Psychiatrist says it’s important to protect your mental health during the uncertainty.

Nutrition, exercise, and wellness routines become even more important. Our normal physical activity is disrupted by the very nature of having to isolate and stay home. Our favorite sports, golf, tennis, gyms, yoga, and even hiking have been placed on hold. Beaches and boating have been effected. It's a good time to learn how to eat healthily and cook at home. 

David J. Puder, MD, medical director of the MEND program at the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC), says the news can increase a person’s fear of a topic. “It can make it feel like it’s happening right outside their front door,” he says. “I don’t believe minimizing the virus is good preparation, but it’s important to keep things in perspective.

Loma Linda University is best known for its Nutrition and Wellness programs. Loma Linda University was a center for excellence long before wellness programs became popular. I was a clinical professor at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Many of the residents of the community lived active lives well into their nineties and beyond. I never saw an obese person on the campus.  They did not smoke, drink alcohol, and even avoided caffeinated beverages. Most of these people were taught by parents how to lead balanced lives.  Perhaps you did not have that advantage, however, it is never too late to reverse the poor lifestyle choices you have made in the past.

The Covid19 pandemic is a good time to evaluate your life and is an opportune time to study and implement healthy living as part of your life. Look forward to a new life and remain positive.

Take a break from the news
While it may feel important to know everything that’s going on, the damage from this might outweigh the good. Try scheduling times in your day where you take a break from the news. “This can be helpful for those of us who are empathic and deeply feel for the stories we are hearing,” Puder says.

Log out of social media
When you’re physically distanced from your friends, family or co-workers, you can be tempted to spend a lot of your day on social media, but this can quickly become overwhelming. “When we see other people’s worst-case scenarios, it can create the same type of stress in us,” Puder says. “We can be aware without letting it consume us.” Staying connected is important, but Puder warns against using social media as our source of information.

Exercise
Getting out to exercise is more important than ever during stressful times. Fresh air and physical activity are good for both your mental health and physical well-being. “We store stress in our bodies, so it’s essential to stay active to release all that stress,” he says. “Get your blood flowing and receive the positive benefits of moving around a bit.” If you’re not comfortable going out, it’s easy to find workout videos you can follow along at home.

Practice deep breathing
Breathing may feel basic, but deep breaths can be important in both getting oxygen to the brain and in calming the body. “You can find video tutorials online that show you how to use breathing to bring your body and mind back into a myelinated parasympathetic state — that rest and relaxation state,” Puder says.

Eat healthily
Eat as healthy as you can while you’re isolated. This is especially important if you have limited ability to go outside or be as physically active as you’re used to. “It feels like some people are hoarding for a six-month ordeal,” Puder says. “But it’s important to keep fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet — both for your mind and your body.”

Connect with others
It’s important to stay connected to your loved ones, especially when you’re feeling like you’re missing a connection with the people you value. “Call people, text them, stay involved in what’s going on with them,” Puder says. “Stay in contact with people who make you happy.”


















Dealing with anxiety, mental health during COVID-19 | LLUH News:

Maps of Influenza Symptoms as percentage of Population

COVID RESOURCE CENTER

The Latest from Facebook Maps

Some states are modifying their strict rules for social distancing in an effort to return to near normal activity and hopefully resuscitate the economy. Public health officials remain conservative as to how quickly and safely normalcy can resume. Statistics can mislead future planning.  Most cases of the Corona Virus occurred in New York.  Serology revealed that there are already six or more individual COVID strains.  Some Governors are anxious to restart their economies.  The Mayor of Las Vegas, NV asked that Las Vegas citizens would act as a control population to compare against other cities that remain on lockdown.  The Mayor's idea was badly flawed and could never be considered an objective study. It also points out the confusion and misinformation promulgated by elected officials, another dystopian example of life in America.

The United States led the world in cases of Covid19, with over four times the number of cases than the nearest country. After the United States, the next countries  were

Confirmed Cases by Country/Region/Sovereignty

965,435 US

226,629 Spain

197,675 Italy

162,220 France

157,770 Germany

154,037 United Kingdom

110,130 Turkey

90,481 Iran

83,911 China

80,949 Russia

Public health authorities are still studying the numbers. The figures from China are open to question for many reasons. Experts attribute the high rate in the U.S. as due to inadequate testing and delays in social distancing. The case incidence appears to have stabilized and is diminishing, however, there are still many active cases. The elevated case rate for the U.S. may be due to over-reporting without accurate testing.

Health Plan Costs Keeping Unemployed from Coverage in COVID-19

Another reason to eliminate employer-based health plans.

Many individuals recently unemployed are struggling to find a new health plan due to health plan costs and limited availability.

Those who have been recently unemployed are finding health insurance costs to be a major barrier when replacing their employer-sponsored health plans during the coronavirus pandemic.

The study surveyed 1,500 US residents who had recently lost their jobs and their employer-sponsored health plan between March 9 and March 27, 2020. The poll itself was taken March 27 through March 29.

The exercise of obtaining a new health plan was not easy for many respondents. Over half of the individuals who were unemployed (54.7 percent) expressed that they had experienced difficulty in the process of looking for a new health plan. These problems ranged from finding a few plan options to encountering red tape barriers.

The number of unemployed persons skyrocketed between January and today. The latest figures available are only through March 31, 2019 

There are several items that may mitigate the acute financial impact on hospitals, providers, and patients.  The American Hospital Insurance Plans have outlined the plans for payors and recommend waivers for deductibles, copays, an extension for premium payments and other urgent accommodations to lessen financial impacts.

Health Insurance Providers Respond to Coronavirus (COVID-19) If approved the suggestions will afford several months for readjustments to occur.

For patients in the lowest income group at or below the poverty line Medicaid is an alternative, as well as the health insurance exchanges as part of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)  In California more information, can be found at Covered California.









Health Plan Costs Keeping Unemployed from Coverage in COVID-19:

CMA issues guidelines on reopening California’s health care system

CMA issued guidelines and recommendations for reopening the health care system. The document was developed by a task force of practicing physicians from different parts of the state and different sizes...

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, California and the United States took steps to limit the transmission and impact of the virus by implementing shelter in place orders. While this has so far prevented any surges overwhelming our hospitals, it has also meant that many other parts of the health care system have been idled to preserve resources and capacity in the system and limit the opportunity for transmission or exposure of the virus.

Physician practices and health care facilities have seen massive drops in patient visits, caused by a combination of shelter in place orders and patient fear. This may lead to much more complex problems in the future, as patients miss routine screenings and preventative care. With proper safety precautions, a doctor’s office is one of the safest places for a patient to be. Reopening the health care system in a thoughtful and safe way is a necessary and important step for California to take.

Reopening California’s health care system will not happen all at once, and will not be the same in all parts of the state. Reopening should be in phases based on testing, treatment and data, and the regional capacity within local health care systems throughout the state

Why your doctor's office is the safest place.

All physicians will be adhering to the guidelines from the CDC.

It is important for patients to visit their physicians in the next several months. This is especially so for those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, those with immunosuppression or any condition requiring regular followup. Call your physician for an appointment.  In many cases, medical practices have adopted telehealth which sometimes can substitute for a visit. In some cases, you can obtain monitoring devices such as blood pressure devices, glucometers for diabetes, spirometers for COPD, and pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels.   Your doctor may send you to a lab for blood work. In order to minimize clinic visits ask your doctor for a 90 day supply. Consider using a mail order pharmacy. Some insurance companies and HMOs offer zero copayments for pharmaceuticals if you use a designated pharmacy.

Hospitals are now allowed to perform elective surgeries as well.















CMA issues guidelines on reopening California’s health care system:

The Latest Smart Device: Circular Ring:

We have seen the Desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and now a smart ring from circular.xyz

And no, contrary to opinion it is not the latest futuristic smart item from Apple Computer. Sorry Tim Cook, Steve Jobs is turning over in his smart coffin. Given Apple's size and market share don't be surprised if Apple buys Circular Ring. Amazingly this powerful smart device can be pre-ordered for only $199.00. 

Control your ring, visualize your trends, your progress, and benefit from personalized advice to energize your life and improve your daily performance over the long term. Circular is a smart ring that includes Personal & Smart Alarm Clock, Sleep and Fitness tracking, Wellness monitoring, Alert notification, Pushbutton.

The Circular Ring has many functions:

Sleep quality score

The score reflects how well you slept based on valuable metrics calculated during your sleep.

Sleep overview

Quickly overview the times you slept. Edit your sleep logs.

Sleep metrics

See the result of each sleep component so that you can directly identify what to change.

Sleep/wake detection, Naps detection, Real sleep, Sleep debt, Time to fall asleep, Sleep stages monitoring, Circadian Rhythm, Disturbances, SpO2, HR, Night HRV, Sleep quality score©.

Sleep graphs

In-depth insights about sleep metrics. You can compare to your own short- and long-term trends and get to know your evolution.

Activity Tracking
Quantify your physical activities with empowering metrics
Circular keeps track of your daily activities and fitness goals at any time

Activity overview
Quickly see when you've practiced sports. Edit your activity logs.

Activity metrics
Quantify each component of your physical activity.

Automatic activity recognition, Activity intensities and volumes, Steps counter, Walking equivalency, Calories burned, Active minutes, SpO2, Heart training zone.

Activity graphs
In-depth information about numerous metrics for you to quantify your current performance and compare it to your own short-and long-term trends to get to know your evolution.

Wellness Monitoring
Find the perfect balance
Monitor your overall wellness and energy with day & night advanced cross analyses

Wellness metrics
Make your own wellness extra correlation with advanced metrics.

Day HRV, Heart recovery, RHR, Sleep balance, Live heart rate, VO2 max, Energy Score©.
Energy score
The score reflects your energy level for the day based on your sleep and activity data. Get to know when you can push yourself to max out your daily performances or when you may take it easy.

Wellness graphs
You can compare your wellness metrics on your own short- and long-term trends and get to understand the impact of your lifestyle on your well-being in order to improve it.

The device is only in pre-order status, so I would be very cautious, as this may just be pre-marketing hype.





Circular Ring: Features: .

Why you should remember your anesthesiologist’s name

 This article was reproduced from KevinMD written by TIFFANY POULDAR, MD | 

You’ve probably thanked them countless times for getting you through a scary time. Whether they excised your cancerous tissue, repaired your ACL, or removed your inflamed gallbladder, you have likely sung their praise, time, and time again.

But do you remember who your anesthesiologist was the day of your surgery? Probably not, and that’s okay. You may recall them as the quiet doctor, or maybe they eased your nerves prior to placing your IV. You might not remember anything at all if it was an emergent or urgent case, and you were “put to sleep” before you even saw their face.

The view for the Anesthesiologist in the O.R.

Your anesthesiologist is the man or woman behind the drape, at the head of the bed, next to a machine with a bunch of buttons that no one but they understand. They’re skilled with procedures, have a cart full of drugs that they know inside and out, and monitor patient’s hemodynamics throughout the case. They resuscitate you when you are losing too much blood. They keep you breathing. They make sure your blood continues to circulate and perfuse your organs. They control your pain. They make sure you don’t remember any of the surgery. And most importantly, they make sure you wake up.

Anesthesia in the I.C.U. for Covid19 intubation

But right now, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re the people in my hospital who are running into possible or confirmed COVID-19 patient rooms to place a breathing tube to give patients a fighting chance.  Despite this being the most aerosolizing of procedures, anesthesiologists and ICU doctors are gowning up and facing COVID-19 head-on. I can only speak for my own hospital, but they are being pulled left and right to make sure that patients receive appropriate and timely endotracheal intubations. And they’re not complaining about it. While none of us expected this virus to have this kind of impact on society, they’re still fearlessly waking up early in the morning, heading to work, and delivering admirable patient care.

Unfortunately, it feels as though it took a pandemic to remind us that medicine relies on the interdisciplinary efforts of multiple team members. Because the reality is, this pandemic hasn’t changed anything. Anesthesiologists have been doing exactly what they’ve been doing for years. They work with nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, surgeons, ICU doctors, and hospitalists on a daily basis, to better serve the critically ill patients who need them the most. Now more than ever, they have been putting their oaths and vows to the test, jeopardizing their own health and wellness to help patients.

So the next time you come across an anesthesiologist, or respiratory therapist, pharmacist, nurses, and even the janitorial staff, make an effort to remember their name and thank them. 

Why you should remember your anesthesiologist’s name: 

I’m an E.R. Doctor in New York. None of Us Will Ever Be the Same. - The New York Times

A Covid diary: This is what I saw as the pandemic engulfed our hospitals.

A few days from now, I will come across the name of Guido Bertolini, a clinical epidemiologist who studies intensive care. Through a colleague of his, I reach out to him over Whats­App, and we begin corresponding. He had been high up in the Italian Alps through the last day of February, when the distressing messages started to come in from colleagues asking him to join a new Coronavirus Crisis Unit for Lombardy, a region in northern Italy. Some of the pleas had an Excel file attached. When Bertolini opened it, he tells me, he couldn’t believe the numbers. He had to see the situation for himself.  With an E.R. doctor from Milan, he drove to the Lombardy city of Lodi the next day. He was horrified by what he witnessed. “So many patients, in every corner,” he says. “They were attached to oxygen in all possible ways.” Individual oxygen dispensers, meant for single patients, were being split among four people at a time. “When we came out, we were silent for all the journey home,” he says. “We could not speak.” He knows the hospital has already passed its maximum capacity.

Inside t

I’m an E.R. Doctor in New York. None of Us Will Ever Be the Same. - The New York Times: I’m an E.R. Doctor in New York. None of Us Will Ever Be the Same.

The COVID-19 Tsunami: The Tide Goes Out Before It Comes In

Most people in the US have withdrawn from their daily routines unless their jobs are essential. Quiet streets, shuttered stores, silent schools. More than 400,000 live with the knowledge that they have the disease, but the slowness of our testing means that multiples of that number are likely to be infected. In pockets around the country, hospitals feel the earliest surges from those most vulnerable to COVID-19, but countrywide, the tsunami is still out at sea.

The devastating effects of a tsunami are usually preceded by an abnormally fast and long low tide, as water is actually pulled away from shore toward the epicenter of the underwater earthquake. Most of the US currently sits in that temporary equipoise. Most Americans who receive any health care in a given year do so in a primary care setting, (CLICK THIS LINK) to see where primary care fits into health care. where they generally have the relationships that they count on most when they are sick—or scared that they might be. In 2016, primary care provided 54.5 percent of all patient care visits and despite representing only 30.0 percent of the physician workforce, primary care physicians manage the majority of the care of people with the same high-risk conditions that put them at risk for the coronavirus. Research published in 2016 reminded us that the “Ecology” of care-seeking and receiving behavior in the US has not changed in 60 years. In a given month, 113 people in 1,000 visited primary care clinicians, while only eight were hospitalized and less than one was cared for in any of the university hospitals that dominate the US health care landscape and conversation. Primary care clinicians are the predominant providers of health care in small towns and rural areas where they often also staff many of the rural and critical access hospitals that those communities depend on. And although the relationship between the US population and its primary care workforce should, therefore, serve as protective breakers in the face of an unprecedented pandemic tsunami, the outgoing tide may actually be undermining the defensive wall before the surge arrives.  

Most primary care practices are seeing a 30-70 percent reduction in visit volume due to the pandemic. Simultaneously, many are being asked to self-finance a total transformation to telemedicine to provide needed care while reducing patient exposure to COVID-19. Most practices still live on fee-for-service contracts and will struggle to bear that loss of revenue. Nearly one in three family medicine practices remain independent and are not only financially hemorrhaging but cannot even afford the jump to telemedicine, meaning that they either choose to stop seeing patients or to put themselves and their patients at risk by continuing face-to-face visits. Many practices are facing difficult decisions about laying off staff or closing due to the likelihood that operating margins will run out in a matter of a few weeks to a few months. These vulnerable family medicine practices are just a subset of the wider group of practices facing these difficult choices. We estimate that a 50 percent reduction in visits will mean a $700 million loss for independent practices across the country over the next three months, more if they are unable to implement telemedicine. The rest of the primary care workforce will lose much more, and we estimate the total loss in primary care to range from $10 billion to $15 billion.

Although CMS (Medicare/Medicaid) and private payers have quickly authorized reimbursement for telehealth visits this requires acquiring available telehealth solutions as well as training how to adapt it to a practice setting. It is unknown whether the loss of income due to reduced in-person visits will be offset by telehealth reimbursement.  Telehealth function is available by subscription service to a cloud provider such as one of these. 

Nevertheless here is some of the bad news..The National Rural Health Association has reported that more than half of rural hospitals were already operating in the red, and deep losses in their traditional fee-for-service functions mean many will run out of cash in the next month. Federally qualified health centers (FQHC), which provide care to 1 in 12 people in the US and are mostly staffed by primary care, are projected to lose more than $3 billion over the next three months and more than one-quarter becoming bankrupted. All frontline primary care practices also face unplanned costs related to the epidemic beyond implementing telemedicine. These include stocking up on protective equipment and working with public health and hospitals to figure out how to manage the waves of people needing triage or intensive care that are about to crash down on our health system. The third and most recent stimulus package related to the pandemic offers $100 billion for health care providers, most of which is likely to go to hospitals. While $1.3 billion was appropriately allocated for the sustenance of FQHCs, nothing was specifically directed toward other frontline clinicians. While independent and small practices may be able to eventually apply for support created for small businesses, they have no special standing and little idle time to queue for this funding.

Many frontline primary care physicians are displaying tremendous professionalism as bulwarks for their patients and the public at great personal cost. They are fulfilling their commitment to the social contract, and it is on stark display. The government should respect this contract and help keep them whole in ways that directly reach this workforce. It would be a potent signal that they can focus on serving their patients and the public with faith that their practices will survive.

Understanding the tide of the COVID wave is already out, and a giant wave is visible on the horizon, but without more help, the primary care bulwark against the tsunami and its aftermath is in real jeopardy.  And like a tsunami wave the first is not the largest.

https://tinyurl.com/yclngrec

Comparing the COVID-19 Coronavirus to 7 Other Infectious Diseases

The outlook on the COVID-19 coronavirus is changing every day. As of this moment, the United States has just declared a national emergency —It's difficult to contextualize rapidly evolving circumstances, but it's also equally necessary to help ourselves and others. This is why a list comparing prevalent diseases of today with the 2019 coronavirus follows.

Comparing the COVID-19 Coronavirus to 7 Other Infectious Diseases

We look at some common, and recent, infectious diseases in order to put the COVID-19 coronavirus in perspective.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to every corner of the world. The landscape is murky, and while Chinese sources claim the outbreak is slowing down in its eastern origin, some global experts are claiming we should prepare for months of disruptions before the virus is controlled.

As of writing, there are 125,048 cases of coronavirus infections in over 114 countries, and the death toll is now over 5,000 and continuing to rise.

After days and weeks of constant developments, it might feel like the COVID-19 coronavirus is the only thing we hear about. But the very novelty of coronavirus — first diagnosed in November 2019 according to Chinese officials — is why we know relatively little about it, compared to other diseases, and why it's important to follow the latest updates and the advice of local authorities.

After days and weeks of constant developments, it might feel like the COVID-19 coronavirus is the only thing we hear about. But the very novelty of coronavirus — first diagnosed in November 2019 according to Chinese officials — is why we know relatively little about it, compared to other diseases, and why it's important to follow the latest updates and the advice of local authorities.

Then there's the death rate. COVID-19 has been shown to be fatal in roughly 3.5% of confirmed cases, as ScienceAlert reports. While we don't have enough data to know the exact mortality rate — many milder cases may have gone undiagnosed — the seasonal flu typically kills only 0.1% of those infected.

Then there's the fact that we don't have a vaccine, as well as the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has the potential to overwhelm health systems worldwide, leading to deaths for people with other ailments that would have otherwise been treated.

Yearly cases: approx. 3 to 5 million

Yearly death toll: approx. 290,000 to 650,000

(Statistics from WHO)

2. SARS

As the other most prominent coronavirus in recent times, SARS is also often compared to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

SARS, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, was first identified in November 2002 in the Guangdong province of southern China. The SARS coronavirus, which also caused a viral respiratory illness, was eventually contained in July 2003. Before it did so, it spread to 26 countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Though the global health community has taken on many of the lessons of SARS in the containment and treatment of COVID-19, this year's coronavirus has far outdone the damage caused by SARS. During the outbreak, there were 8,098 reported cases of SARS and 774 deaths. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no known new cases of SARS since 2004.

Though SARS killed 10% of patients, making it deadlier to sufferers than COVID-19, it infected a fraction of the people over a longer period of time.

Total reported cases: 8,098

Death toll: 774

Source: CDC

3. MERS

Another recent coronavirus, MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, was first reported in Saudi Arabia as recently as 2012. It spread to 27 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.

Much in the same way that COVID-19 likely originated in bats, and was subsequently passed on to humans by an as yet unknown bridge animal. MERS is thought to have been jumped to humans via camels that originally got the disease from bats.

Since it was first identified, there have been 2,494 reported cases of MERS, and 858 deaths. Infections occurred mainly due to close face-to-face contact between humans.

Though MERS's fatality rate is a very high 34% (much higher than COVID-19), the low transmission when compared to the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan means that the death toll has stayed relatively low.

Total reported cases: 2,494 

Death toll: 858

Source: WHO

4. HIV/AIDS

Did you know that before the COVID-19 coronavirus isn't the only ongoing pandemic in the world? The HIV/AIDS pandemic began in 1960 and continues to this day. However, as World Atlas points out, the peak of the hysteria surrounding the disease came in the 1980s when the world became widely informed about its existence.

From 1960 to 2020, the virus has caused over 39 million deaths. Treatment first became available for people with HIV/AIDS in 1987 and just last week the second person ever to be cured of HIV was announced.

 

Source: gevende/iStock

Today, there are approximately 37 million people living with HIV, and cases have been reduced by 40% since its peak in 1997, as access to antiretroviral medicines has a greatly extended life expectancy. Today, approximately 68% of global HIV/AIDS cases are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is due largely to poor economic conditions and a lack of sex education.

People living with HIV (end of 2018): 32.7 million–44.0 million

Death toll (2019): 570 000–1.1 million

Source: UNAIDS

5. Ebola

Unlike the COVID-19 coronavirus, Ebola, also known as EVD, is not an airborne disease; infection occurs solely when someone comes into direct contact with bodily fluids of some who is infected.

Recent outbreaks of the viral infection, which was first detected during an outbreak in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, have led to alarming spikes in deaths from the virus. 

Ebola is another virus that is thought to have originated in bats — in this case, specifically, fruit bats, which are a local delicacy where the outbreak started. Ebola caused the deaths of approximately 11,325 people between 2014 and 2016 and the fatality rate sits at an average of 50%, according to the World Health Organization.

Cases (Aug 2018- Nov 2019): 3,296

Deaths (Aug 2018- Nov 2019): 2,196

Source: CDC

6. Meningitis

Meningitis is caused by inflammation of the meninges. These are membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. The infectious disease is often caused by fungi, viruses, and bacteria, though it is also possible to get it after suffering a head injury, having brain surgery or having specific types of cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, small outbreaks of meningitis occur sporadically worldwide, except in the African Meningitis Belt where large outbreaks are common and account for most deaths.

The disease can cause flu-like symptoms, as well as vomiting, nausea increased sensitivity to light and a confused mental state.

Yearly cases: approx. 1.5 million

Yearly death toll: approx. 170,000

Sources: CDC/COMO Meningitis

7. Malaria

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is carried by mosquitoes. The initial symptoms include fever, chills and flu-like symptoms, which can quickly progress into more serious complications.

The disease was eliminated from the U.S. in 1951 thanks to the pesticide DDT. Campaigns are ongoing to distribute mosquito nets to help prevent the disease in poorer countries.

As the WHO says, "Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden." In 2018, Africa saw 93% of malaria cases and 94% of malaria deaths.

Cases (2018): 228 million

Deaths (2018): 405, 000

Source: WHO

The 10 Worst Epidemics In History                         

Yersinia bacterium

Black Plague Mask worn by Doctors

Comparing the COVID-19 Coronavirus to 7 Other Infectious Diseases: We look at some common, and recent, infectious diseases in order to put the COVID-19 coronavirus in perspective.