Recent Disease Outbreaks Overview (2020-2022)

Over the past two years communicable diseases have had constant outbreaks throughout the world, so here is a brief overview of five of the most common diseases that have had outbreaks over the past two years.

What are These Viruses?

Covid-19 (2020-2022) – “Most people infected with the virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.” according to the WHO. Began in China in 2019 and spread worldwide and is currently still international but outbreak rates have gone significantly down. Coronavirus gets its name from the Latin word “crown” because early images of the virus itself looked like a solar corona, according the the National Library of Medicine.

Monkeypox (2020-2022) – “a viral disease affecting rodents and primates in rainforest areas of west and central Africa, related to smallpox and sometimes transmitted to humans” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Is mainly found in Africa. Monkeypox gets its name from its original virus being discovered in monkeys.

MERS-Cov (2020-2022) –  “a virus transferred to humans from infected dromedary camels. It is a zoonotic virus, meaning it is transmitted between animals and people, and it is contractible through direct or indirect contact with infected animals.” according to the WHO. Mainly found in the Middle East. MERS-Cov is an abbreviation for “Middle East Raspatory Syndrome – Covid” because it states the origin of the virus and that it is a strand of Covid.

Yellow Fever (2020-2022) – “a tropical viral disease affecting the liver and kidneys, causing fever and jaundice and often fatal. It is transmitted by mosquitoes.” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Originated in Africa. Yellow Fever gets its name from the yellow color that the skin becomes because of the jaundice that the virus causes.

Ebola (2020-2022) – “A virus that causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and can lead to death.” according to Mayo Clinic. Began in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola virus gets its name from the Ebola River near where the virus originated.

Timeline of Viruses and Where the Outbreak Occurred 

Timeline and more virus outbreak details are from the Disease Outbreak News by the World Health Organization.

January-June 2020 –

• Covid in China and spreading rapidly internationally
• Monkeypox had no major outbreaks
• MERS-Cov in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
• Yellow Fever in Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Togo and Gabon
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo and African Region

July-December 2020 –

• Covid worldwide
• Monkeypox in DRC
• MERS-Cov in Eastern Mediterranean Region
• Yellow Fever in French Guiana, Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo

January-June 2021 –

• Covid worldwide
• Monkeypox in UK
• MERS-Cov in Saudi Arabia and UAE
• Yellow Fever had no major outbreaks
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea

July-December 2021 –

• Covid worldwide, but winding down
• Monkeypox in United Kingdom and Northern Ireland  and US
• MERS-Cov in Saudi Arabia and UAE
• Yellow Fever in Nigeria, Venezuela, Ghana, West and Central Africa
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo

January-June 2022 –

• Covid no major outbreaks
• Monkeypox in United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, starting to have multi-country outbreaks
• MERS-Cov in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman
• Yellow Fever in Kenya and Uganda
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo

July-November 2022 –

• Covid no major outbreaks
• Monkeypox starting to have multi-country outbreaks
• MERS-Cov no major outbreaks
• Yellow Fever in East, West, and Central Africa
• Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda

The Main Areas of the Outbreaks

The generalized areas of where the outbreaks occurred help people make connections that the healthcare systems/Demographic Transition Stage in the countries of the main outbreak areas and the outbreaks themselves are correlated without causation.