Illnesses on the oregon trail game

And you would be: wrong. According to the World Health Organization , anywhere from million people get typhoid every year, and somewhere between , and , people die from it.

The danger depends entirely on where you live. In the United States, there are only about 5, estimated cases annually. But you're not entirely safe from an old-timey disease. WZTV reports that there were 71 cases reported in early , prompting an alert from the CDC because nine of the victims had not traveled outside the country, indicating a potential outbreak.

An incredibly contagious viral illness, measles was once one of the most common diseases in the world. According to History , it's so contagious that once exposed usually when an infected person coughed or sneezed near you, or touched you after touching their nose or mouth , you were more or less guaranteed to get sick. Once you're sick, you'd get a tell-tale rash that would spread all over your body, a dangerously high fever, cough, runny nose, and sore throat. Measles was so common it was accepted as a fact of life — at some point as a kid you were going to get measles, be miserable for a week or two, and then be immune to it for the rest of your life unless it, you know, killed you.

Considering all the other hardships on the Oregon Trail, it's little wonder your family died so often from it in the game. In the midth century, the disease still afflicted 48, Americans every year and killed around The good news is that measles is one of the earliest vaccine success stories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in a vaccine was introduced, and since then there are typically fewer than 1, cases each year in the United States.

Cholera was a different disease from dysentery, but it killed you the same way: Endless, horrifying diarrhea that resulted in dehydration. A water-borne, bacterial disease, what sets cholera apart is how fast it kills you. According to the World Health Organization , it can result in death in just a few hours. Today, cholera is easily treated — if you have access to clean fluids and electrolytes. More importantly, cholera is extremely rare in developed nations. The CDC , for example, reports that in the United States, most cases of cholera are actually contracted in foreign countries, and CNN notes that in there were zero cases in the U.

That's great for us, but the rest of the world isn't so lucky. Now: According to the Centers for Disease Control, cholera remains a global pandemic. Though there is still no vaccine for the disease in the U. The best defense remains stringent sanitation regulations, a luxury afforded primarily to industrialized countries. Then: Caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae , diphtheria is an airborne bacterial disease.

It usually showed up first in the nose and throat, but could also surface as skin lesions. A gray, fibrous material would grow over airways , causing difficulty breathing and sometimes uncontrollable drooling, as well as a deep cough and chills. Diphtheria was most common on the Trail during the winter months. Now: Routine childhood immunizations have nearly erased diphtheria in the U. According to the U. National Library of Medicine, there are less than five cases here a year. Though it is still a problem in crowded nations with poor hygiene, diphtheria is now rarely fatal.

Then: Dysentery, a. During the 19th century, dysentery was a bigger problem on the Civil War battlefields. Like cholera, dysentery spread via contaminated water and food , thriving in hot and humid weather. Unlike cholera, dysentery lived in the colon and caused bloody, loose excrement. A bit simplified and maybe crass, but that is how games work and I think you get the idea. I have the slightly newer version but as you did, I named them for family and Lord of the rings…my favorite feature was the journal.

I wrote like a real life in it! Had FAR too much fun teasing my sister about her dying all the time. Various meanings of those codes can be obtained from the board manufacturer or often times within the documentation added with a system.

Today, software developers have packed this function of watching satellite TV online without using a receiver into software called PC satellite TV software. I realize that you stated that is was a disease that caused diarrhea, but you did not go in depth enough other then to state the basics of the illness. Did it cause a rash? What was the death rate? This is just a brief overlook, and not at all helpful for people really seeking knowledge.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up to get updates in my inbox. First Name:. Last Name:. Email address:. Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella Typhi , a bacterium that is contracted by consuming contaminated food or drink. Once a person has Typhoid fever, they can shed the bacteria in their stool or urine for days to weeks and potentially make others ill.

Cholera is a diarrheal illness caused by a toxigenic form of a bacterium called Vibrio cholera. The bacteria are generally transmitted in water or food that has been contaminated with infected feces. You may remember the cholera outbreak in Haiti following the deadly earthquake there. Cholera spreads rapidly in areas where drinking water is contaminated. That was the problem for those on the Oregon Trail just as it was in Haiti.