Leo After Hours: Infectious Diseases

Diseases have changed throughout human history. Influenza influenced the course of World War I by sickening and killing soldiers and straining military healthcare systems. Many of the British monarchs were unable to manage their kingdoms because of porphyria, which can cause a variety of mental problems, like hallucination, paranoia, and anxiety. Unfortunately, there is just one of the most influential infectious diseases that have been eradicated through vaccination – Smallpox. We are still fighting syphilis, AIDS, and malaria still causes over 300 million cases worldwide and up to 3 million deaths a year, but influenza remains a major threat worldwide. Improvements in sanitation have reduced cholera’s impact in a number of regions and an increasing number of new technologies help control tuberculosis and other diseases better and better. Join our panel of medical doctors, scientists and historians as they discuss how exploring those diseases have changed the way we live.