10 Most Contagious Diseases: You Are At Risk In Daily Life

10 Most Contagious Diseases: You Are At Risk In Daily Life

There are all sorts of diseases in the world. Some are highly contagious while others are not. It is important to know which ones are contagious as it can help you prevent them and keep yourself and your loved ones safe. With so many illnesses all around, you are at risk every day of your life. Modern medicine has the ability to cure a wide range of diseases but there are those that can infect a large number of people in a short amount of time.

10 of the Most Contagious Disease

Here is a look at the world’s 10 most contagious diseases:

1. HIV/AIDS: HIV is a disease that takes a heavy toll with 1.6 million deaths in the year 2012. However, the population of people who actually live with the HIV/AIDS disease is 35 million.

2. Tuberculosis: This is an airborne disease that caused about 1.3 million deaths. Although the death toll is high, the good news is that in 2012, 7.3 million people developed this disease and survived.

3. Pneumonia: This deadly disease caused 1.1 million deaths among children younger than 5 years. It is the disease that kills the most children in the world.

4. Infectious Diarrhea: This disease caused the death of 760,000 children under 5. About 1.7 million cases of this disease are reported across the world every day.

5. Malaria: 627,000 deaths were caused by malaria in 2012. Globally, a staggering 200 million cases are reported each year. The disease-causing organisms are becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs made for this disease.

6. Ebola: According to WHO, the fatality rates of Ebola breakouts can go up to 90 percent. This rate has gone down to 50 to 60 percent in recent times.

7. Rabies: This deadly disease is 100 percent fatal if it is not treated properly. Treatment should also be provided immediately. There are about 55,000 deaths on a yearly basis due to rabies, primarily in Africa and Asia.

8. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Apparently this disease is 100 percent fatal. It is a neurodegenerative disease that progresses rapidly. It is caused by nonbacterial and non-viral infectious agents known as prions and they damage brain tissues that are healthy. It has been classified as a contagious disease as it can spread through contact with contaminated tissue when medical procedures are conducted.

9. Marburg hemorraghic fever: The fatality rate of this disease is between 24 and 88 percent. It caused by a virus that is similar to that which causes Ebola. Transmission occurs mainly through contact with fluids from the body from someone who has the disease.

10. H5N1 and H7N9 flu viruses: Fatality rates are 60 percent for H5N1 and 25 percent for H7N9. According to WHO, they “remain two of the influenza viruses with pandemic potential.” The total number of cases among humans for both these viruses is approximately 1,000.

These are the world’s 10 most contagious diseases. Now that you know, you can keep yourself and close ones protected and prevent these deadly diseases from affecting you.

Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad