Of great importance to public and child health are the vaccines against the so-called six killer diseases of childhood-measles, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis and poliomyelitis.
Plagues in particular have hammered individuals and cultures throughout history. In the superb Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World, 10 of the featured maladies are caused by microbes: smallpox, bubonic plague, cholera, tuberculosis, syphilis, influenza, malaria, yellow fever, AIDS, and the Irish potato blight.
There are four main types of disease: infectious diseases, deficiency diseases, hereditary diseases (including both genetic diseases and non-genetic hereditary diseases), and physiological diseases. Diseases can also be classified in other ways, such as communicable versus non-communicable diseases.
cancer. dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. advanced lung, heart, kidney and liver disease. stroke and other neurological diseases, including motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
Serial killers with the highest known victim count. The most prolific modern serial killer is arguably doctor Harold Shipman, with 218 probable murders and possibly as many as 250 (see "Medical professionals", below). However, he was actually convicted of a sample of 15 murders.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a man's disease, almost as many women as men die each year of heart disease in the United States.
Fifth disease is a mild rash illness caused by parvovirus B19. It is more common in children than adults. A person usually gets sick with fifth disease within 14 days after getting infected with parvovirus B19.
