• Question: what is the worst desease you have seen

    Asked by thus520moat on 24 Mar 2025.
    • Photo: Kerry Ann Brown

      Kerry Ann Brown answered on 24 Mar 2025:

      Oh good question. I’ve done a bit of work on micronutrient diseases [iodine deficiency diseases, rickets, neural tube defects]. Micronutrients are nutrients we need in small amounts to survive. Nutrients are things our body can rarely make ourselves so we are reliant on consuming them through our diets.

      Not everyone can consume all the nutrients they need to grow, develop, and function around the world. This isn’t an individual’s fault. It can be due to a lot of different factors in a country/region.

      Malnutrition [poor nutrition] is heart breaking, as there should be no reason why we can’t all consume the foods we need to be well.

      On a different note, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine we have worms and mosquito labs. I think Denge fever would be my most disliked disease…horrid and we need to find a solution!

Comments

  • Photo: melissau

    melissau commented on :

    As a vet the worst disease I’ve seen is a fungal disease called Epizootic Lympangitis which affects horses in Africa and Asia. From the time of infection it can progress over months or years making the horse so unwell that he/she cannot work, and eventually the animal will die due to starvation or being attacked by predators. If the infection is identified early it may be possible to treat successfully but the drugs which are needed are very strong and may have severe side effects for the animal or they may not be available at all in the country where these animals live. There is no vaccination for this disease. It is believed to be transmitted by biting insects and, possibly, by shared work equipment.