Coronavirus isn’t the first virus that has been troubling our lives. In the past few decades, it is noticed that many deadliest viruses on Earth such as Ebola have made their appearances in human life. Some experts predict that from now on we’ll have the regular presence of different viruses due to deforestation and the blurred lines between animals and humans. Even though the novel coronavirus has a lower fatality rate than the viruses before, it is still driving the world crazy.
In recent years, the world has encountered many deadly viruses that when a person is infected, he/she will surely die because of it. These deadliest viruses on Earth are a great threat to humanity. Here is a list of deadliest viruses on Earth:
Ebola Virus
The epidemic ongoing in West Africa which started in early 2014, is the world’s biggest and most complex epidemic to date according to WHO. Ebola virus is spread through close contact with blood, body fluids, and tissue from infected people or animals. There are different strains of Ebola that cause different levels of liver damage. One strain, Reston Ebola, doesn’t make people even sick. But the fatality rate for the Bundibugyo strain is up to 50 percent, and it is up to 71 percent for the Sudan strain.
HIV
An estimated 32 million individuals died from HIV after the first identification of the disease in the early 1980s. HIV attacks The T cell of the body and destroys it, then it becomes harder for the body to fight off other infections. If timely medical interventions are not done, CD4 cells are multiplied and they ultimately swell and burst. If the CD4 count drops below 200, a person then has AIDS. HIV is transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, condoms, and even sharing needles for tattoos or piercing. Strong antiviral drugs have allowed humans to live with HIV for years. But the disease manages to destroy many low-and middle-income countries, where there is 95 percent of new HIV infections.
Rabies
The occurrence of Rabies is extremely rare in today’s developed world and it is an animal disease. The vaccine of rabies was introduced in the 1920s. Even though we have a strong vaccine against rabies and antibodies that work against rabies, it is a dangerous disease. It affects the central nervous system and causes inflammation in the brain. If someone gets bitten by a rabid animal and if that person is treated on time, it is completely fine. But if they don’t get treatment, there’s a 100% possibility they will die.
Hantavirus
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) was first known to people when a Navajo couple became infected by it in the U.S in 1933. Several months later, health officials identified hantavirus from a deer mouse that lived in one of the infected people’s homes. People acquire the disease from exposure to the droppings of infected mice, and not from one human to another. Hantavirus was recorded in 36 states of the U.S, but most cases were in areas where deer mice are common, including western states such as New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and California. About one-third of those who contract HPS die from it, 36 percent. The mortality rate in New Mexico is rising closer to 50 percent.
Marburg Virus
Scientists described the Marburg virus in 1967 when there were minor outbreaks among laboratory staff in German who were exposed to infected monkeys imported from Uganda. Marburg virus is similar to Ebola because both can cause hemorrhagic fever, resulting in high fever and bleeding throughout the body that can lead to shock, organ failure, and death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the mortality rate in the first outbreak was 25 percent, but it was more than 80 percent in the outbreak that occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998-2000 and in the outbreak in Angola in 2005.
Influenza
Influenza (or flu) is an airborne infectious condition caused by influenza viruses. Influenza is unlike the common cold. In contrast to a common cold, influenza (flu) can cause severe health complications such as pneumonia, otitis media, and death. The peak season for influenza in the US and UK is typically between October and April, while countries along the equator are typically at risk throughout the year. Subtle mutations occur between each ‘flu-season’ to influenza viruses, known as (mild) antigenic drift, which can cause epidemics.
Dengue
According to WHO, the dengue sickens 50 to 100 million people per year. It has spread across the tropical and subtropical parts of the globe. Up to 40 percent of the world ‘s population now lives in places where dengue is endemic, and the disease — and the mosquitoes carrying it — is likely to spread further as the world warms.
Rotavirus
There are now two vaccines available to protect children from rotavirus, the leading cause of serious diarrheal disease among babies and young children. The virus will spread rapidly through what researchers call the fecal-oral route (meaning small fece particles are consumed). Though children rarely die from rotavirus infection in the developed world, the disease is a murderer in the developing world, where rehydration therapies are not widely available. Worldwide, the WHO reports that in 2008, 453,000 children under the age of 5 died of rotavirus infection.
