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Welcome to AfricanPathogenWatch, a site providing information on microbial diseases relevant to tropical countries including those in Sub Saharan Africa. This site will be useful to travelers to those countries as well. Note that some of these diseases are also prevalent in the temperate climates, but the readily available drugs or vaccines make these diseases more manageable.
Microbial diseases are generally classified by the type of pathogen causing them. The three main classifications are viral, bacterial, and parasitic. Under each heading below (Viral, Bacterial, Parasitic) are diseases specific to those microbes, their symptoms and how to prevent or cure these diseases. When a disease (e.g., diarrhea, hepatitis) is caused by multiple microbes, we will refer to the microbe for simplicity.
In general, viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases can be prevented with approved vaccines or by following prescribed safety measures. In addition, some viral and parasitic diseases can be cured by approved drugs. Note that only bacterial diseases require approved antibiotics; they are not effective against viral or parasitic infections.
This site should not be used for self diagnosis. If you believe that you have a probable microbial disease, always consult your doctor for accurate diagnosis and treatment. This site is not responsible for any risk link to self diagnosis. Additional information can be found at the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) site: https://www.cdc.gov/
Listed below are the diseases/microbes. You can click on them to read about methods of transmission, symptoms, potential treatments and prevention.