Potential End-Time Disease Plagues

By Mark Jantzi – October 21, 2014

A. Arboviruses (Spread by insects, mosquitoes, tics, fleas from infected animals to humans). These are of the Flaviviridae species or family of viruses.

  1. Equine encephalitis named for a specific geographic region.
  2. Yellow Fever is spread by mosquitoes. There is a vaccine available for prevention. There are about 200,000 worldwide infections annually (90% in Africa, mostly in Togo), resulting in 30,000 deaths. It can act like Ebola or Marburg diseases. In severe epidemics the mortality rate may exceed 50%.
  3. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is also spread by mosquitoes. There is no vaccine and no known cure. Of the 100 million new cases per year, the fatality rate is estimated to be 1-5%. Of those Dengue Fever cases that become hemorrhagic and develop shock syndrome, the mortality rate is 50%.
  4. West Nile Virus is named after the area of Uganda where it was first discovered in 1937; it is now endemic in Africa. Made its first visit to New York in 1999 and in a 2012 outbreak, 286 people died in the US. It is spread by a mosquito that prefers birds (particularly large birds) as a host.

B. Hantavirus (Spread to humans by contact with rodent feces, urine or saliva).

  1. Hemorrhagic Fever first came to world attention during the Korean War when 3000 troops became infected; it is known for a 10% mortality rate. Renal failure is a major complication.
  2. Hantavirus Pulmonary, lung infection from breathing infected aerosol. It is found in South America and the “four corners” area of the US southwest (the same location and infection method as Bubonic Plague which still occurs here). Normal mortality rate is 36%; and close to 100% if shock occurs.

C. Arenavirus (Virus that infects rodents and can be given to humans)

  1. Lassa Fever is spread to humans by insects and rodents (in the same manner as Hantavirus). It was first identified in Nigeria in 1969, when two missionary nurses died of the disease. Lassa is one of 8 known arenavirus types that infect humans. There have been 8 cases in the US that came from West Africa since 2010, the last one in April 2014. It is a disease with hemorrhagic symptoms much like Ebola and must be treated like Ebola with strict isolation protocol.

Note of Interest: The current estimated population of New York City is 9.4 million humans. There are estimated to be 10 times that many rats living in the sewer system beneath the city.

D. Filoviruses (Named for the shape of the virus).

  1. Ebola There are 4 known strains; the current epidemic is by the Zaire (now DRC) variety, where it was first discovered. The virus origin is monkeys and fruit bats. It is spread between humans by contact with body fluids (there is also the possibility of airborne droplet spread). Treatment requires strict isolation protocol. It has shown a 50-90% mortality rate. It has also demonstrated to be hemorrhagic.
  2. Marburg Virus Disease also known as Marburg Hemorrhagic Disease. It is named after a city in Germany where a laboratory worker contacted the disease from monkeys that they were working with (also from fruit bats). Everything that is said about Ebola is also true of Marburg. It is reputed to be nearly 100% fatal. The Soviet Union is known to have produced and tested Marburg as a biological weapon. It is also a potential terrorist weapon.

E. Retroviruses (Named for the complicated method that the virus reproduces itself in the victim) and Lentelviruses (Means slow, long acting).

  1. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrone) Caused by HIV virus.

HIV 1 Found mostly in West Africa and is less easily transmitted.

HIV 2 Is the predominant type, mostly group M, subtypes A – J (Note: people can be infected with several different strains at the same time). The virus is spread between people through body fluids: primarily by sexual contact, giving birth and using contaminated needles. Statistics: Since its inception there have been 70 million humans infected with HIV, there are currently 35 million living with HIV; 38 million have died. The HIV infection rate in some places in Africa is said to be as high as 70% (1 in 3 adults in some cities in Zambia). There is no known cure; it is believed to be eventually 100% fatal.

F. Phleboviruses are spread to humans by contact with animal tissue, mainly by slaughtering and butchering.

  1. Rift Valley Fever (named for the valley in Kenya where first discovered). It has spread from East Africa to Yemen and Arabia. A 1977 outbreak in Egypt killed 600 people. It has also believed to be spread by mosquito and airborne by inhaling the virus. There is no known spread of the virus between humans.

G. Influenza Virus (Also known as the flu or the grippe).

Many of the flu symptoms are very similar to the beginning symptoms of Ebola: fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. The virus mutates often so there is a new strain almost annually. There is a vaccine available but it may not necessarily be for the current year’s strain. It is spread by airborne droplets and also by contact with infected people and handling fomites (objects that have been touched and contaminated). Animal sources of the virus include birds and pigs. There is an estimated 3-5 million new cases worldwide every year, resulting in 350-500,000 deaths. There are an average of three major pandemics every century. Noteworthy is the 1918–1919 pandemic now known as the Spanish Flu. Twenty to 40% of the world population became infected, in which at least 20 million died. This was a particularly virulent strain; in that there were people who felt well in the morning and by nightfall they were dead. This pandemic came in the last part of World War 1 in which there were 8.5 million casualties. The US lost 100,000 soldiers of which 43,000 died of the flu. This same flu in today’s world could claim up to 50 million dead.

H. Parasitic (Caused by a parasite in the blood)

  1. Malaria is spread by the mosquito, taking blood from one who is infected and transferring it to another person and is not transferred between people. There are over 200 million new cases every year leading to the deaths of between 473,000 and 789,000. Mortality can be as high as 20% in the most severe cases. There are drugs that are fairly effective for treatment and prophylaxis. Note: This is the disease that killed Dr. David Livingston after his supply of quinine was stolen.

I. Gram Negative Bacteria

  1. Cholera is contracted by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated by feces or sewage. Vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms resulting in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, much like Ebola. Worldwide there are about 3-5 million people infected annually, which result in 100-130,000 deaths, about 4%. It can be treated with modern antibiotics (e.g., tetracycline, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin). The last major outbreak in the US was in 1911.
  2. Plague, Bubonic and other. This is spread to humans mostly by fleas that have fed on the blood of infected rodents. It is said to be also spread by airborne droplets. Cases are still being found in the “four corners” part of the US. Mortality is 60% if not treated, 5% if treated. This was known as The Black Plague in the 14th century and wiped out about a fourth of Europe’s population in four years. It is probably comparable to Smallpox (officially eradicated in 1980) which is estimated to have killed half a billion people in its final century on earth, its mortality rate was about 1/3 of its victims.

J. Gram Positive Bacteria

  1. Anthrax is contracted by humans from the hair and skin of infected animals and from the soil, being spread by spores (by making direct contact or through the air). It is not initially contagious between people. The worst case of infection is the pulmonary type which has a historical mortality of 92%, 45% with treatment and 97% if fulminate. Other forms have a 20-60% mortality rate. Vaccines were developed by the Soviets in the 1930s. The Germans attempted to spread this to the allies during World War 1 by using live infected animals. It is treatable by antibiotics. This bacteria has been studied much as a possible use in biological warfare.  Treatment of patients is with strict isolation. Clothing, bedding and human remains are considered to be contaminated.

K. Spirochete (not a bacteria and not a virus).

  1. Lyme Disease was first discovered in Lyme, Connecticut and is spread to humans by tiny deer ticks that have fed on the deer and spread the infection to humans by their bites. It can be a very devastating disease having a long term recovery and leaving arthritic like complications.

The above is by no means a complete list, just the ones that come to mind at this time. It is evident that it is only the hand of God that holds these things back somewhat and perhaps until an appointed time. I believe the present Ebola outbreak is God’s warning to us to make sure we are under the shadow of the almighty (Psalm 91), and immune to the pestilence or plague. The opening of the 4th Seal (Rev. 6:7-8) could very well be the release of such plagues (diseases) plus others that we now know nothing about. The rider of the pale horse seems to be spreading deadly disease as one of the four means of death.