Curious ElfWith the year that we have lived, even the mention of the word virus sends chills to our spines, but COVID-19 isn’t the only deadly virus that has been troubling us. Humankind has been battling with viruses since the beginning of time. The evolution of humankind and science led to the invention of remedies for some viruses, like smallpox. But there are still some viruses that continue to defeat humanity and claim thousands of lives.
Here are some of the deadliest viruses on the planet Earth in today’s time.
- EBOLA
Ebola virus can spread among humans through close contact with the infected people’s tissue, blood, and body fluids. Ebola virus’s first known outbreak happened in 1976 simultaneously in the Republic of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Varying strains of the Ebola virus can lead to different levels of liver damage. For example, the Ebola Reston strain does not even make people sick, but the fatality rate of the Bundibugyo strain was up to 50 percent and 71 percent for the Sudan strain. According to WHO, the worst and the most complex Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in 2014.
- HIV
One of the fatal viruses of the modern world is HIV. Approximately 32 million people have died since the disease was recognized. Even though the invention of various drugs has helped people affected by HIV live longer, the disease continues to devastate middle and low-income group countries. 95% of the new infections happen in such third-world countries. The virus attacks the body’s T cells and destroys it completely. Then, it becomes more challenging for the body to face and counter other infections. It transmits through semen, blood, breast milk, vaginal fluid, condoms, and even sharing tattoo needles. If the HIV-affected people do not receive medical treatments on due time, CD4 cells can multiply and burst ultimately. If the CD4 count drops below 200, it means that the person has AIDS.
According to WHO, 1 out of 25 people in Africa is HIV positive. It accounts for more than 2/3rd people living with the disease.
- RABIES
Rabies is a disease that can get to a human if bitten by a rabid animal. Even though it is a rare occurrence in today’s time, if a rabies affected person does not receive treatment at the correct time, it can affect the person’s central nervous system causing death.
- MARBURG
Marburg is similar to Ebola because both the viruses can lead to bleeding throughout the body and hemorrhagic fever, resulting in multiple organ failures and death. Scientists had identified the virus’s reception by some lab workers in Germany from the Marburg-affected monkeys of Uganda. Marburg’s first outbreak happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998-2000 and then in 2005 in Angola. Even though the first outbreak’s mortality rate was 25%, it increased to more than 80% in the latter.
- HANTAVIRUS
(HPS) or Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome was first widely noticed in 1993 in the United States, when a young Navajo man residing in the ‘Four Corners’ area of the US, along with his fiancée died within a few days after showing symptoms of shortness of breath. The health authorities later identified the virus’s reception from a deer mouse staying in the homes of infected people. This virus is not contagious. People get infected by it if they come in contact with droppings from infected mice. More than 600 people have contracted Hantavirus in the US, and 36% of people have died from it.
- INFLUENZA
Influenza is an airborne disease caused by viruses. Even though it seems like the common cold, it isn’t. Influenza can lead to common colds like otitis media, pneumonia, and death. Influenza occurs at the highest rate between October and April in the US and UK. In contrast, countries along the equator possess the risk of contracting the flu throughout the year. Specific mutations of the virus can lead to an epidemic, as mentioned by WHO.
- SARS-CoV
The virus first appeared in Guangdong province in Southern China in 2002. The virus first emerged in bats, then got transmitted to nocturnal mammals called civets, and was finally contracted by humans. It had spread to 26 countries killing over 770 people in two years. However, there haven’t been any new cases since 2002.
- SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 belonged to the same family as SARS-CoV and emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus originated in bats and passed through an intermediate animal before infecting humans. The mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 is 2.3%, and it has killed thousands of people worldwide. The disease continues to mutate, and scientists are working towards discovering the accurate vaccine for the same.
We can only hope that science develops to an extent where viruses cannot haunt humanity with such severity.
