As violent as we can be towards one another,
throughout history the biggest executioner of
the human race has been deadly disease.
Whether it was the Black Death in 14th century
Europe or Ebola in present day Africa, the loss
of human life and cost to society has been
astronomical. These are the 25 deadliest
diseases in human history.
25 Cholera
This infection of the small intestine is
transmitted primarily by drinking water or
eating food containing the feces of an infected
person. Worldwide about 5 million people are
affected and over 100,000 die from Cholera
every year.
24 Smallpox
After the vaccination campaigns of the 20th
century, smallpox has become one of two
infectious diseases that have been declared as
completely eradicated (the other being
rinderpest). Throughout history, however, small
pox has claimed numerous lives and just in the
20th century, prior to vaccination, the death
toll was estimated at nearly 500 million.
23 Yellow Fever
Transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes,
this disease is found in Africa and South
America. It typically involves fever, chills,
anorexia, nausea, muscle pain (with prominent
backache) and headache, but in most cases
subsides after several days. Due to warfare
and social disruption across Africa, there has
seen a resurgence since the 1980s.
22 Tuberculosis
Usually attacking the lungs, this disease is
spread by airborne saliva. The classic
symptoms of active tuberculosis infection are a
chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum, fever,
night sweats, and weight loss. Today some
estimates put nearly one third of world down
as having some form of tuberculosis.
21 Influenza
Commonly known as the flu, influenza is
usually transmitted through the air like
tuberculosis but sometimes through direct
contact with contaminated surfaces. Because
the virus can be inactivated by soap, however,
frequent hand washing reduces the risk of
infection.
20 Lung Cancer
On a world wide scale lung cancer is the most
common cancer related death in men and
women, responsible for 1.38 million deaths
annually.
19 Diarrhea
A common cause of death in third world
countries and the second most common cause
of infant deaths worldwide, the loss of fluids
through diarrhea can cause dehydration and
electrolyte disturbances such as potassium
deficiency or other salt imbalances.
18 Perinatal Complications
Each year, about 500,000 women die worldwide
from complications related to pregnancy and
childbirth, including severe bleeding/
hemorrhaging, infections, unsafe abortions,
obstructed labor and eclampsia, and more than
90 percent of maternal deaths occur in Asia
and sub-Saharan Africa.
17 Whooping Cough
Technically known as Pertussis, this highly
infectious disease is known in some countries
as the “cough of 100 days”. It is estimated
that the disease currently affects 48.5 million
people yearly, resulting in nearly 295,000
deaths
16 Ebola
Deriving its name from the Ebola River in
Republic of the Congo, where it was first found,
its victims typically suffer fevers, muscle
weakness, and other symptoms that progress
to severe bleeding, both internal and external,
that eventually causes them to bleed to death.
Unfortunately there is no treatment as of yet.
Currently, we are experiencing what some are
claiming to be the deadliest and worst
outbreak of the disease in history.
15 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Although we’ve already covered influenza as a
whole, certain strains adapt to a particular
host, in this case birds. Most human
contractions of the avian flu are a result of
either handling dead infected birds or from
contact with infected fluids. For this reason
there have been large outbreaks in heavily
agricultural parts of Asia and Africa.
14 Tetanus
Tetanus is a medical condition characterized
by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle
fibers. Infection generally occurs through
wound contamination and often involves a cut
or deep puncture wound. As the infection
progresses, muscle spasms develop in the jaw
(thus the name “lockjaw”) and elsewhere in the
body.
13 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease
Often abbreviated as COPD, this disease is
caused by noxious particles or gas, most
commonly from tobacco smoking, that trigger
an abnormal inflammatory response in the
lung. Worldwide, COPD is projected to become
the fourth leading cause of death by 2030 due
to an increase in smoking rates and
demographic changes in many countries.
12 Ischemic Heart Disease
Basically a fancy way of saying heart attacks
(or at least the factors that predispose
individuals to them), by some estimates 1 in 3
people are said to die from heart disease.
11 Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective
membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
The inflammation may be caused by infection
and less commonly by certain drugs. The most
common symptoms are headache and neck
stiffness associated with fever, confusion or
altered consciousness, vomiting, and an
inability to tolerate light or loud noises.
10 Influenza A-H1N1 (Swine Flu)
Although it has been declared by the WHO as
officially over, swine flu was yet another deadly
and contagious strain the influenza virus.
9 Syphilis
This sexually transmitted disease is believed to
infect roughly 12 million people annually, with
greater than 90% of cases in the developing
world. Symptoms include everything from
rashes to heart problems and sometimes it can
be difficult to diagnose in its early stages.
8 Lower Respiratory Infections
There are two types of lower respiratory
infections, bronchitis and pneumonia. Some
common symptoms of these infections are
runny nose and sneezing, headache, and sore
throat. Although in most western countries
these diseases are not fatal, in the developed
world a lower respiratory infection can easily be
lethal.
7 Cerebrovascular Disease
Basically a fancy way of saying stroke, this
happens when blood flow to a part of the brain
is interrupted because a blood vessel is
blocked or bursts open.
6 Bubonic Plague
Known as a zoonotic disease, circulating
mainly among small rodents and their fleas,
without treatment the bubonic plague kills
about two thirds of infected humans within 4
days.
5 SARS
A viral respiratory disease in humans, the last
known case of the outbreak occurred in June
2003. SARS is not claimed to have been
eradicated, however, as it may still be present
in its natural host reservoirs (animal
populations) and may return to the human
population.
4 Leprosy
This chronic disease has had a long history of
making its victims social pariahs due to the
way it deforms the surface of the skin.
Although these days treatments have been
discovered, in many parts of the developing
world leper colonies are still very prevalent.
3 Measles
Measles is spread through respiration and is
highly contagious as roughly 90% of people
sharing living space with an infected person
will catch it. While the vast majority of patients
survive measles, complications occur fairly
frequently, and may include bronchitis, and
panencephalitis which is potentially fatal.
2 HIV
The virus behind AIDS, a condition in humans
in which progressive failure of the immune
system allows life-threatening infections and
cancers to thrive. Since its discovery AIDS has
cause over 30 million deaths.
1 Malaria
This mosquito born infectious disease causes
symptoms that typically include fever and
headache, which in severe cases can progress
to coma or death. It is found primarily in the
tropics and as of yet there is no effective
vaccination.