We commonly assume that the deadliest or the most dangerous diseases in the world are necessarily grimy, malevolent, and horrific. While some parts of it are right, most of the diseases with the highest fatality rates in the world are slow, omnipresent, and anyone can be susceptible to them. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, a jarring 68% deaths in the year 2015 were caused by slow progressing diseases, some of which are even partially preventable.
Here are 9 of the world’s most dangerous diseases, with the highest fatality rates:
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Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a lung disease borne out of communicable bacteria. Although preventable through vaccines, it is only treatable and not completely curable. In 2013, a total of 1.34 million deaths attributed to bacterial disease.
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Diarrheal Disease
Dehydration caused by diarrhea has proven to be lethal in many cases. Even though in 2015, 1.4 million deaths were caused due to dehydration, it is far more terrifying to know that worldwide children under the age of 5 die due to this in large numbers.
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Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is a neurological disease that attacks the memory of the brain and rides it of many essential functions. Its numbers went from 1.2 million in 2000 to 1.5 million in 2015. Although females over the age of 65 are at a higher risk of this condition, research on the specifics of the disease is still not clear.
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Diabetes Mellitus
Type I diabetes and type II diabetes are the two primary forms of diabetes mellitus. It is either characterized by the inability of the pancreas to generate insulin, or the body becomes resistant to it. The condition also gives rise to various other health conditions. In 2012, 1.26 people lost their lives to the disease.
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Respiratory Cancers
Respiratory cancers attack the lungs, bronchus, trachea, and larynx with lethal tumors. A 2015 study showed that cancers of these organs cause about 4 million deaths worldwide. Smoking and environmental toxins continue to be the leading causes of it.
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HIV/AIDS
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) gives rise to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS causes the immune system of the body to become severely weak and unable to resist disease, causing the body to be encompassed by multiple problems. In 2012, a staggering 1.78 million people died from AIDS, whereas estimates state that about 5000 people are infected with the virus every single day.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis block the air passage and make it difficult for patients to breathe. These conditions are highly fatal and have been the cause of over 3 million deaths in 2015 alone.
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Stroke
During a stroke, the brain experiences a lack of blood and suffers damage as a consequence. The death count by stroke jumped from 5.7 million in 2000 to 6.2 million in 2015. In addition to this, a stroke is survived can lead to severe disabilities.
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Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Caused by damage to the heart’s major blood vessels, CAD is a terrifyingly lethal disease, with the number of deaths increasing every year. In addition to a total of 15.5 percent deaths caused due to CAD, its numbers also went up from 6 million deaths in 2000 to 8.8 million deaths in 2015.
