Top 10 deadliest diseases

Ever since the inception of human race, diseases have claimed lives more than anything else in the world — be it a natural calamity, war or anything else. However, science have championed a lot in current time, yet there are plethora of diseases that have no remedy till the date. From the stack of curable and non-curable ones, this page examines top 10 deadliest diseases that have terrified the masses staggeringly.

10. Tetanus:

Tetanus, sometimes known as lockjaw, is a disease manifested by uncontrolled muscle spasms. The disease is frequently fatal, especially to the very old or very young, and is preventable by immunization. Fortunately, most children are immunized for tetanus at the same time they receive the vaccine for Diptheria.

9. Diarrhea:

The most common cause of diarrhea is a virus that infects the gut. The infection usually lasts for two days and is sometimes called “intestinal flu” or “stomach flu”. The pediatric death toll due to diarrheal illnesses exceeds that of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. In poor countries, diarrheal disease is second only to pneumonia in causing the deaths of children under five years old.

8. Smallpox:

Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only prevention is vaccination. The name smallpox is derived from the Latin word for “spotted” and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. It spreads through tiny drops of an infected person’s saliva (spit) when the person coughs, talks, or sneezes. Smallpox usually passes from person to person during close, face-to-face contact.

7. Plague:

Generated by rodents, Plague is one of the most deadliest diseases which has claimed several lives throughout its existence of more than 2,000 years. Basically there are three types of plague — bubonic plague, pneumonic plague and septicemic plague. Along with rats, fleas are also associated with this diseases which attacks person depending on sanitary conditions or by direct contact.

6. Cancer:

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. One of the most insidious aspects of cancer is the way it grows. As the tumor outgrows the original organ, pieces of malignant tissue often break off (metastasize) and enter the bloodstream or lymph system.

5. Cholera:

Cholera is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacteria Vibrio Cholerae, which affects the intestinal system of the body. An infected person experiences severe vomiting, explosive diarrhea and severe dehydration. Without immediate medical treatment, cholera may result in death within four to twelve hours after symptoms begin. Due to a large loss of body fluids, cholera is gruesome in the way that it leaves survivors in their physical appearance, as well as in the biological toll it takes on the body.

4. Tuberculosis:

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, usually ”Mycobacterium Tuberculosis” in humans. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air, when people who have the disease cough, sneeze, or spit. Most infections in humans result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than half of its victims.

3. Malaria:

Approximately 300 million people worldwide are affected by malaria and between 1 and 1.5 million people die from it every year. Previously extremely widespread, the malaria is now mainly confined to Africa, Asia and Latin America. There are more than 2,500 known species of mosquitoes worldwide. Out of that, only around   50 to 60 species of Anophelis mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the infection.

2. AIDS:

AIDS stands for Acquired immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) Syndrome. One of the deadliest diseases with no remedy so far, AIDS results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body’s immune system, which fights infections and various cancers. Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don’t get sick for many years. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don’t cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. These are called “opportunistic infections”.

1. Heart Disease:

There are many kinds of heart diseases, and they can affect the heart in several ways. But the ultimate problem with all varieties of heart diseases is that, in one way or another, they can disrupt the vital pumping action of the heart. The most common form of heart disease is coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease (CAD).