Top 10 Deadliest Diseases

1.    AIDS; 25 million from 1981 to present

AIDS is a mix of infections and complications as a result of progressive damage to the body’s immune system caused by HIV. AIDS is now considered a pandemic.

2.    Influenza; 36,000 deaths annually

Influenza, which is more commonly known as flu, is a highly infectious disease that is caused by influenza virus. Transmission of the disease is by airborne and through physical contact.

3.    Spanish Flu, 1918-19; 100 million deaths

The flu pandemic that happened in 1918 is termed as a category 5 flu pandemic which was caused by the flu virus strain A with subtype H1N1.

4.    Bubonic Plague; 250 million deaths

This disease outbreak was mainly caused by fleas and rodents infected with Xenopsylla cheopsis. Humans were infected after being bitten by an affected rodent.

5.    Malaria; 2.7 million deaths annually

Malaria is an infectious disease which is vector-borne. The causative agent is the protozoan parasites. It is a common disease in the sub-tropics and tropical regions.

6.    Ebola; 160,000 deaths from 2000 to present

The Ebola virus was first isolated in1976 from the dual outbreaks that occurred in Zaire and Sudan. It is a zoonotic disease as it affects lowland apes as well as humans.

7.    Cholera; 12,000 deaths from 1991 to present

The epidemic or Asiatic cholera is a very serious type of diarrheal ailment caused by Vibrio cholera. The mode of transmission is by ingesting contaminated food and water.

8.    Smallpox; Population drop from 12 million to 235,000

Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease that has two variants. The V major has a 35% mortality rate while the less severe V minor has a 1% mortality rate.

9.    Polio, 10,000 deaths from 1916 to present

Polio or infantile paralysis is a viral disease that is transmitted through the fecal-oral course.

10. Tuberculosis; 75 million deaths

Tuberculosis is life-threatening if not treated promptly and for the elderly, infants, and people with a compromised immune system. The disease has resulted in around 100 million fatalities in the 20th century.