Three Major Health Threats Followed by the Scientific World in the Shadow of Global Changes
Long COVID, mpox, and unexplained childhood hepatitis, spread by climate change, travel, and animal contact, remain on the agenda.
The increase in global travel, climate change, and ecosystem differentiations are effective in the spread of infectious diseases monitored by the medical world. Long COVID, mpox, and new hepatitis cases in children stand out.
Global Changes and Diseases
Certain diseases that were previously seen in limited regions are now encountered more frequently. Global travel and ecosystem changes can pave the way for infections to spread more rapidly worldwide.
Long COVID and Its Symptoms
Long COVID, which emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the important new problems of the medical world. It encompasses symptoms that begin approximately three months after the infection and last for at least two months.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 different symptoms such as persistent fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain are reported. This condition develops in approximately 6 out of every 100 people who have had COVID-19.
The Global Dimension of the Mpox Virus
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, took center stage on the global agenda in 2022 by appearing simultaneously in many countries outside of Africa.
The disease manifests with fever, headache, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rashes. During the global epidemic period, more than 100,000 laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded in over 120 countries.
Acute Hepatitis Cases in Children
Acute hepatitis cases seen in children in recent years, the cause of which could not be initially determined, have been an important subject of research. Severe liver inflammation was observed in cases that started in the UK and were reported in different countries.
The most striking feature of these cases was that tests for the known hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses yielded negative results.