Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman. Oklahoma's Dede Westbrook (11) runs on a reverse and is tackled by Jordan Thomas (7) during the annual University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) Spring Game college football game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, April 11, 2015. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman.
What is dysentery? Dysentery broadly refers to infectious gastrointestinal disorders characterized by inflammation of the intestines, chiefly the colon. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines dysentery as any episode of diarrhea in which blood is present in loose, watery stools. Dysentery is spread among humans through contaminated food and water. Once a person is infected, the infectious organism lives in the intestines and is passed in the stool of the infected person. With some infections, animals can also be infected and spread the disease to humans.
Dysentery Number one killer during the Civil War.Victims get severe diarrhea with passage ofmucous and blood. Typhoid fever âCamp Feverâ â Number two killer, at Â¼ ofdisease deaths. This disease is caused by anyof several bacteria. It is very severe, andcauses a high fever, intense headache,intense rash, and delirium. Body lice trans-mit it. Ague Pronounced âAY-gyuâ. A bad fever with acycle of chills and sweating. Also, âswampfever.â Yellow Fever Caused by a virus, this disease is carried by aspecific mosquito and can be fatal.