When people picture rabies, an image of a frothing, vicious animal often comes to mind.

This misconception means countless visitors to China are at more risk than they know when going to pet an innocent stray on the street. As the World Health Organization notes, this is most true for dogs. The animals are responsible for 99 percent of rabies transmission to humans in China.

The country has a known problem with homeless canines. China has 80 million registered dogs and only 10-20 percent of them are vaccinated against the rabies virus. The WHO reports that rabies kills one person every 10 minutes in developing countries (including China), showing a high risk for unprotected tourists.

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Though deserts can be some of the most daunting places for travel, people across the globe are still flocking to the arid regions.

What’s in store for travelers willing to brave the hot, dry weather? A combination of time spent hiking, camping, rock climbing and natural photography.

Over the years, desert tourism has fast become a popular travel option for those seeking a change of pace. As it turns out, the desert is a great place to thaw out and enjoy the sun during the cold winter months. The Middle East offers some of the best places for desert travel and the most popular destinations include, the Sahara Desert, the White Desert, and the Great Pyramid at Giza.

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Staying true to its name, river blindness can lead to some permanent issues with your eyes.

Also known as onchocerciasis, river blindness is an eye and skin disease that is spread by blackflies. Also accurate in the name, these tiny flies live near fast-running streams and rivers in inter-tropical zones.

According to the World Health Organization, it is the world’s second leading infectious cause of blindness. Africa poses the greatest risk, with over 90 percent of cases found on the continent. Other areas like Yemen and some Latin American countries also pose a risk.

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While cholera outbreaks are still occurring today, these epidemics are nothing new. Most of the world’s cholera epidemics can actually be traced back to a single place: India’s Ganges delta.

Cholera is an intestinal infection spread through contaminated food and water. Symptoms of cholera usually include diarrhea, vomiting and leg cramps. The disease doesn’t always show those signs though. Sometimes cholera is present with no symptoms to speak of. If an individual does not seek treatment, the symptoms can quickly become severe and victims can die within hours.

Many of the world’s worst cholera outbreaks can be traced back to the Ganges delta. Due to the fact that cholera spreads through contaminated food and water, the Ganges is a perfect breeding ground for the disease. The Ganges delta provides a source of water for millions of people living in India, all of which could be using contaminated water to bathe or cook.

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We naturally want vaccines to be as safe as possible. What’s the point in getting vaccinated if you’re risking a different illness?

While many people worry about side effects from vaccines, others don’t know about the other risks: bacteria.

While a syringe is injected into a vial, the vaccine can develop dangerous fungus. To combat this, manufacturers started to use a preservative called thimerosal. Thimerosal would prevent the fungus in multi-dose vaccines and make the drugs far safer.

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