Childhood immunizations in the United States diphtheria patients die. Without treatment as many as half the patients can die from the disease. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is caused by the bacteria "Bordetella pertussis." The bacteria clings to cilia in the lungs and releases a toxin that damages the cilia and causes inflammation in the respiratory tract. Many infants are infected by older siblings or caregivers that don't even know they have the disease. The bacteria is spread through respiratory secretions, often through coughing or sneezing, or just from breathing in the bacteria while around someone who is infected. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the
Unverricht–Lundborg disease ULD, MRIs taken once the disease has progressed show characteristic damage, which may help to correct a misdiagnosis. While ULD is a rare disease, the lack of well defined cases to study and the difficulty in confirming diagnosis provide strong evidence that this disease is likely under diagnosed. Unverricht–Lundborg disease is also known as EPM1, as it is a form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy (PME). Other progressive myoclonic epilepsies include myoclonus epilepsy and ragged red fibers (MERRF syndrome), Lafora disease (EPM2a or EMP2b), Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) and sialidosis. Progressive myoclonic epilepsies generally constitute only a small percentage of epilepsy