Blog 8_Horror disease hits Uganda

There always seems to be a something, whether it be a disease or a natural disaster, that is diminishing the human race; there was the two world wars, SARS, the earthquake in Haiti and many more. Now there seems to be something new: a horror disease that rots away the victim's body. This vicious disease has recently appeared in Uganda, already killing 20 people and sickening 20,000 people in just two months. The disease is passed by jiggers, small insects that look like fleas. Jiggers usually enter through the feet and suck all the blood, multiplying by the hundreds. All body parts affected rot away, including lips, fingers, and even eyelids.

To add on top of this tragedy is that many of the Ugandans believe that this disease was a curse and decide to wait for death, instead of seeking for medicine or medical services. One 60-year-old stated that "For the last three years I have been suffering from jiggers....They were sent to me by my neighbor who wants to grab my piece of land." Due to this misconception, more people are dying than needed to.

Whenever I hear stories about people dying, I try to look on the bright side; there are more lives born than dead each second. Four babies are born every second while about 1.8 people die each second. Although many pass away, many more are born and they all bring hope to this world and make it a better place.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101022/ap_on_he_me/af_uganda_the_rot;_ylt=ApsAgtOwaKeLiCEMvkoZGtbVJRIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJtbWhjN3QzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMDIyL2FmX3VnYW5kYV90aGVfcm90BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDaG9ycm9yZGlzZWFz