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Nobody likes to be sick, and it can cause some real problems if it’s a serious illness. We all get the typical cough or cold, but what if it were more serious than that? We often don’t think about or can’t think about the possibility of being really sick or having a family member who is. Though it may seem unimaginable, there are certain illnesses or diseases that pose a rather large risk to public health. These are regularly monitored by public health officials and protected against in as effective of a manner as possible. Though we may not realize the risks or what measures are in place, we simply wish to know that we are safe. It can help to keep in tune to the risks and do your part to protect yourself. So here we take a look at which diseases pose a rather large risk to public health overall.

The Flu

Who would have ever thought that the flu could cause such a problem? The truth is that we see new strains of the flu coming out nearly every season. The problem is that we aren’t always prepared to protect against them, and those with compromised or weakened immune systems are susceptible to having some serious damage as a result of their presence. Many of us falsely assume that just because we’ve had the flu shot we are in the clear and this simply isn’t true. A flu shot can protect against strains that we know of, but not the new ones that pop up as such as this year’s H1N1 variety. If you are dealing with children, senior citizens, or those that are ill or have an already compromised immune system, they are at greater risk of complications.

HIV

Many people falsely assume that this disease is well under control because there have been some efforts. Though HIV is most certainly in a better place than it was years ago, that doesn’t mean that the public is free and clear of this disease as a very real threat. The other thing that contributes to this disease being a problem is the fact that it is so easy to contract from an infected individual. There continues to be great efforts made towards education and prevention, but even decades after it was first discovered HIV continues to be a problem and a very real threat.

Cancer

The thing with this disease is that it’s not contagious so many may tend to dismiss it if they haven’t been “exposed”. It is however hereditary and does have factors that can put an individual at risk. All types of cancer seem to be on the rise and therefore this terrible disease puts the public at a greater risk than it was at years ago. Cancer is costing more and more people their lives and many believe it is due to environmental factors amongst other things. So while it may not affect the public in the same manner as other diseases, it is still a huge risk nonetheless.

Mary Frederick enjoys blogging about helping people to obtain a master’s in public health.