10 Deadliest Diseases

With poverty comes poor education, poor sanitation and lack of access to medical care, which all lead to the proliferation of disease.

10. Syphilis

Via hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu

Over 12 million people worldwide are diagnosed with syphilis, mainly in the poorest parts of the world. About 157,000 people die each year from syphilis, most of whom are infants that catch the disease from their mothers during birth.

9. Meningitis

Via guardianlv.com

5-10 percent of people with meningitis die each year — approximately 174,000 deaths.

8. Tetanus

Via ehow.com

Tetanus deaths are largely concentrated in Saharan African and South Asia. An estimated 214,000 people die each year from tetanus.

7. Whooping Cough

Via medicalnewstoday.com

Whooping cough is highly treatable thanks to modern medicine, but in poorer parts of the world, the disease goes undiagnosed and kills approximately 300,000 people each year.

6. Measles

Via slate.com

Measles largely affects children in Southeast Asia and Africa, killing up to 550.000 people a year.

5. Tuberculosis

TB is often fatal when left untreated. Up to 2 billion people have contracted the illness, and 2 million die from it each year.

4. Diarrhea

Via webparx.com

Diarrhea occurs as a side effect of cholera, dysentery and dehydration. The condition kills an estimated 2.5 million people every year, most of whom are children in the developing world.

3. HIV / Aids

Via globalbiodefense.com

HIV/AIDs attacks the immune system and makes an individual susceptible to many diseases. Around 3 million people die from HIV/AIDs every year, most of them in Africa.

2. Malaria

Via wwwnc.cdc.gov

Malaria is transmitted via mosquitoes and is said to kill a child in Africa every 30 seconds. An estimated 4 million people die every year due to malaria, making it one of the world’s single deadliest diseases.

1. Respiratory Infections

Via uhs.umich.edu

Respiratory infections include everything from bronchitis to pneumonia. They are treatable with modern medicine but kill 4 million people every year in the developing world.

Source: Top Lists