More than 89, have died. And while there are actions we can take to help slow its spread , there's currently no vaccine or treatment available. But while the coronavirus is rightly making headlines, there are many other infectious diseases circulating among us.
These diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. While the race to find a vaccine for COVID continues, modern medicine and today's sophisticated healthcare systems go a long way to protect us from many of these organisms. Here are some of the deadliest. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.
As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In , at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEPI was launched — bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus. About 1. TB is caused by bacteria spread from person to person in the air through coughs or sneezes.
Treatment for these strains is long and expensive, and the WHO says multidrug-resistant TB is a public health crisis — in , nearly , people worldwide developed it.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease , caused by a virus and spread through coughs, sneezes and close contact. History has shown malaria can be effectively managed. It was prevalent in Western Europe and the US but wiped out by the mids and respectively. But one species of mosquito — the Anopheline — is developing resistance to insecticide, while the parasite the mosquito transmits is also starting to resist key drugs.
Vector control insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying is a vital frontline defence, but as the mortality reduction rate slows, the onus is now on finding new and innovative ways to eradicate the disease, such as using epidemiological data for planning and analysis. Just as winter arrives every year, so does an influx of influenza, known as the flu. The disease starts off by causing mild memory problems, difficulty recalling information, and slips in recollection.
Over time, however, the disease progresses and you may not have memory of large periods of time. One thing that may be helpful in reducing your risk of the disease is a heart-healthy diet.
Diarrhea is when you pass three or more loose stools in a day. If your diarrhea lasts more than a few days, your body loses too much water and salt.
This causes dehydration, which can lead to death. Diarrhea is usually caused by an intestinal virus or bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food. Diarrheal disease is the second top cause of death in children younger than 5 years. About , children die from diarrheal diseases each year. Good handwashing techniques can reduce the incidence of diarrheal diseases by 40 percent. Improved sanitization and water quality as well as access to early medical intervention can also help prevent diarrheal diseases.
Tuberculosis TB is a lung condition caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is one of the top causes of death in people who have HIV. The cases of TB have fallen 1. The goal is to end TB by This is commonly given to children. Cirrhosis is the result of chronic or long-term scarring and damage to the liver.
The damage may be the result of a kidney disease, or it can be caused by conditions like hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. A healthy liver filters harmful substances from your blood and sends healthy blood into your body. As substances damage the liver, scar tissue forms. As more scar tissue forms, the liver has to work harder to function properly. Ultimately, the liver may stop working. Stay away from the behaviors that can lead to liver damage to help prevent cirrhosis.
Long-term alcohol use and abuse is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis, so avoiding alcohol can help you prevent damage. Lastly, you can reduce the likelihood of contracting viral hepatitis by using protection during sex and by avoiding sharing anything that could have traces of blood.
This includes needles, razors, toothbrushes, and more. While deaths from some diseases have increased, those from more serious conditions have also decreased. Some factors, such as an increasing life span, naturally increase the incidence of diseases such as CAD, stroke, and heart disease. But many of the diseases on this list are preventable and treatable. As medicine continues to advance and prevention education grows, we may see a reduction in death rates from these diseases.
A good approach to lowering your risk of any of these conditions is to live a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition and exercise. Avoiding smoking and drinking in moderation can also help. For bacterial or viral infections, proper handwashing can help prevent or reduce your risk. While most bug bites cause only mild symptoms, some bug bites can transmit disease. Read on to learn more about symptoms and how to prevent bug bites. Explosive or severe diarrhea usually resolves on its own with self-care.
Learn about what to do and when you should see a doctor. Tuberculosis TB is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. Largely thought of as a disease of the past, tuberculosis still…. Learn the definition, symptoms, and causes of CAD by reading our…. Do you have a stomach bug or food poisoning?
Discriminating between the two can be difficult. A stomach bug and food poisoning can be commonly…. This can result in damage to the brain and nerves. In the modern world, the deadliest virus of all may be HIV.
Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and spokesman for the Infectious Disease Society of America. An estimated 32 million people have died from HIV since the disease was first recognized in the early s. Powerful antiviral drugs have made it possible for people to live for years with HIV. In , there were , HIV-related deaths worldwide. In , the World Health Assembly declared the world free of smallpox.
But before that, humans battled smallpox for thousands of years, and the disease killed about 1 in 3 of those it infected, according to the BBC.
It left survivors with deep, permanent scars and, often, blindness. Mortality rates were far higher in populations outside of Europe, where people had little contact with the virus before visitors brought it to their regions. In the 20th century alone, smallpox killed million people, the BBC reported.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome HPS first gained wide attention in the U. A few months later, health authorities isolated hantavirus from a deer mouse living in the home of one of the infected people. More than people in the U. The virus is not transmitted from one person to another, rather, people contract the disease from exposure to the droppings of infected mice.
Previously, a different hantavirus caused an outbreak in the early s, during the Korean War, according to a paper in the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews.
While the virus was new to Western medicine when it was discovered in the U. During a typical flu season, up to , people worldwide will die from the illness , according to WHO. But occasionally, when a new flu strain emerges, a pandemic results with a faster spread of disease and, often, higher mortality rates.
Dengue virus first appeared in the s in the Philippines and Thailand, and has since spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe, according to Clinical Microbiology Reviews.
Dengue sickens to million people a year, according to WHO. A vaccine for Dengue was approved in by the U. Food and Drug Administration for use in children years old living in an areas where dengue is common and with a confirmed history of virus infection, according to the CDC.
In some countries, an approved vaccine is available for those years old, but again, recipients must have contracted a confirmed case of dengue in the past.
Those who have not caught the virus before could be put at risk of developing severe dengue if given the vaccine. Two vaccines are now available to protect children from rotavirus, the leading cause of severe diarrheal illness among babies and young children. The virus can spread rapidly, through what researchers call the fecal-oral route meaning that small particles of feces end up being consumed. Although children in the developed world rarely die from rotavirus infection , the disease is a killer in the developing world, where rehydration treatments are not widely available.
The WHO estimates that worldwide, there are more than 25 million outpatient visits and two million hospitalizations each year due to rotavirus infections. Countries that have introduced the vaccine have reported sharp declines in rotavirus hospitalizations and deaths.
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