Epidemic Relapsing Fever
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Similar to epidemic typhus fever, epidemic relapsing fever has the potential to cause serious disease in large numbers of people under certain conditions that contribute to heavy infestations of body lice. For example, an epidemic in eastern Europe from 1919-1923 resulted in an estimated 13 million cases and 5 million deaths. During and immediately after World War II, more than a million persons were infected in Europe . Today, outbreaks of epidemic relapsing fever are limited primarily to Ethiopia, where 1000-5000 cases are reported yearly, but the disease has the potential to re-emerge among refugees during and following war and natural disasters. |
Causative agent |
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Geographical distribution of cases |
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Symptoms of infection |
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Reservoir of Borrelia recurrentis |
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Vectors of Borrelia recurrentis |
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Mode of transmission |
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Diagnosis of infection |
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Treatment of infection |
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Prevention of infection |
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