Top 5 Infectious Diseases

5. Anthrax

While anthrax has been used as a biological weapon before, a person dies from anthrax after inhalation of the spores or through eating or coming in contact with animals who have ingested the spores. Once contaminated, the bacteria quickly multiples and kills its host by producing two lethal toxins. Death can take from two days up to a month from the cold like symptoms, which then lead to serious breathing problems, shock and the eventual fatality. Large amounts of antibiotics have been shown to be able to stop the disease. A vaccine is known, then again there are also antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax.
4. Malaria


This vector-borne infectious disease still has outbreaks of more than 500 million per year with anywhere between 1-3 million deaths when not treated properly. Fortunately with treatment, a person with malaria can expect a full recovery though like many of the diseases on this list, there is no vaccine. However, it has been noted that the deaths caused by Malaria occur on average about one every 30 seconds.
3. SARS

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has seen only one major outbreak in Asia a few years ago. In most cases, the disease in its viral pneumonia form has a fatality rate of about 70 percent with the highest fatality rate among victims over the age of 65. Supposedly the Chinese government created a vaccine that was effective in about two-thirds of the test groups; however, outside of that many of the treatments have proven to cause just as many problems as SARS itself. What doesn’t cure you, will kill you?
2. Ebola

A discovery in the last 30 years, this strain of viruses has a fatality rate between 50-89 percent. Known to be devastating to both humans and animals, Ebola will kill a person within a week to two weeks usually from multiple organ failure or hypovelmic shock. A Canadian company recently reported that they have created a vaccine that is effective in 99 percent of the test cases of monkeys. Unfortunately, no vaccine or treatment has been approved for humans at this time.
1. HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which cripples a human’s immune system. AIDS has been categorized as an epidemic by the CDC and the life expectancy has been extended despite the lack of a vaccination or cure. While on its own, the Ebola virus is much more deadly in the short term, most AIDS victims eventually succumb to death from an AIDS related sickness.
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