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      Malaria Symptoms

      Date: Throughout history.

      Location: Worldwide.

      Disaster Type: Infectious disease.

      Fatalities: Around half a million deaths per year.

      So what exactly is Malaria, and how deadly is it?

      Malaria is a microorganism called a Plasmodium which is carried by infected insects, typically a mosquito. When a mosquito bites someone, there is a chance that the person could be infected from the saliva from a biting female mosquito. This microorganism is then able to travel, via the blood stream, to the liver in order to multiply. Unlike a usual virus or bacteria, this is a parasite that can take several days or weeks to mature inside the human body.

      The symptoms typically include fever and headaches, even leading to a coma or death in more extreme cases. This disease is still widespread in Africa, parts of Asia and Central America, where a large number of mosquitoes can be found. There are various species of plasmodium, with some being more deadly than others. The microorganism matures faster and in greater numbers in hot, humid climates. Since insect bites are required to become infected, the reduction of insects with the help of insecticides and nets can help slow down the disease's ability to spread over a region.

      Diagnosis is carried out with a blood test that can be easily done in a lab. While efforts are being made to create an effective vaccine, there are none available right now. Several medications are available to fight off the disease including artemisinins and quinine. These either attack the parasite itself or attempt to stop the initial infection. Some medications can be taken before someone visits a malaria prone area, and then, all throughout the visit. Because several types of plasmodium are immune to various medications, some drugs often have to be taken in tandem.

      Malaria is considered by health organizations as one of the worse diseases in the world. In 2010 for example, there were 219 million cases of malaria with a reported 600,000 death toll. Estimates show that with the unreported cases, there could well be over a million deaths per year due to malaria. The disease is endemic in many regions around the equator and those visiting these areas have to be very careful. 90% of deaths are reported in sub-Saharan Africa, often in regions where anti-malaria drugs cannot easily be found.

      It is suspected that this parasite has existed for well over 50,000 years, although the advances in agriculture played a role in increasing the population of parasites. Some scientists believe that some types of plasmodium originated from apes. The disease plays a large role in slowing down economic development of regions at risk and has been known to influence some wars, such as the African campaigns during the medieval period. While there is no way to eliminate the disease yet, many medications exist and experimental vaccines are always in development.

      22 – Dona Paz Ferry Disaster

      The Dona Paz passenger ferry – Image author: lindsaybridge

      Date: December 20^th, 1987.

      Location: Philippines.

      Disaster Type: Collision.

      Fatalities: 4300 deaths.

      Resulting Damage: Passenger ferry and ship sunk.

      This is the tragic story of a ferry that crashed into a ship carrying over eight thousand barrels of fuel and caused the deaths of more than four thousand people. They only had 1,568 passengers on the ship’s manifest, but they allowed for over-crowding because of the holiday season.

      On December 20^th, 1987, just five days before Christmas, hundreds of people boarded the Doña Paz ferry that would take them from the island of Leyte, to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This ship was authorized to carry a load of not more than 1,518 passengers, but on the day of the tragic accident, the survivors claim that there could have possibly been more than four thousand people on board. There were people sitting on the floor all over the deck, so it was very obvious that the amount of people aboard was higher than it should have been. The weight on the Doña Paz was such that it even tilted the vessel to one side.

      When night time arrived and everyone was getting ready to sleep and continue their 24 hour journey to Manila, a ship called the Vector was heading toward the Doña Paz. People who survived the explosion remember hearing a strong thunder-like sound that came from the collision. There were no alarms or warnings at all and the oil tanker spilled a lot of fuel and kerosene into the Doña Paz in a matter of seconds. The Vector had crashed right into the engine room of the Dona Paz, destroying the main switchboards of the ship. This caused the Doña Paz to lose all electrical power and everything turned pitch black, except for the huge fire that had started to spread from the damaged side of the ferry.

      Most of the people who tried to jump into the ocean did not know that the ship had crashed into a fuel carrier. The spill of all this fuel turned the ocean into a fiery trap instead of a way to survival. Many died on board due to suffocation, while others died in the ocean as they burned and drowned. The few people that managed to survive had to swim underwater until they could find their way out of the fire.

      The Phillippine Coast Guard investigation revealed that only one member of the crew on the Dona Paz had been watching from the bridge; the captain along with the other officers were drinking alcohol and watching television. However, the authorities blamed the accident on The Vector fuel tanker as it was being used without a license, a lookout or trained crewmen.

      23 – Tenerife Airplane Collision

      Dutch Monument in Westgaarde Cemetary, Amsterdam – Image author: Vanzanten

      Date: March 27^th, 1977.

      Location: Los Rodeos Airport, Tenerife.

      Disaster Type: Aircraft collision.

      Fatalities: 583 deaths.

      Resulting Damage: Two Boeing 747 planes lost.

      On March the 27th, in 1977 the deadliest crash in aviation history took place on a foggy runway on the island of Tenerife. The collision involved two jumbo jets that collided on the runway and resulted in killing 583 people.

      The crash was blamed on the pilot of the Dutch national airline KLM Boeing plane, who didn't check whether he was clear for takeoff down the fog engulfed runway. He had no clearance from Air Traffic Control but he thought he was cleared for takeoff due to a misunderstanding between his flight crew and ATC, so it was not deliberate, just human error. This resulted in the KLM Boeing clipping a Pan-Am plane which was taxiing across the runway.

      The incident at Los Rodeos airport had an extra number of flights as there was pressure

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