The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has infected and killed more people than any previous outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976, evoking global panic. In the height of the first Ebola epidemic, and on the heels of the diagnosis of the first case in the United States, Ebola has become a focal point of news and worry. But when compared to other deadly infectious diseases, where does Ebola actually stand?
As of Sept. 29, there have been a total of 6,574 reported cases of Ebola and 3,091 deaths across multiple countries in West Africa, including Liberia (3,458 total cases reported), Sierra Leone (2,021), Guinea (1,074), Nigeria (20) and Senegal (1), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ebola has a fatality rate of approximately 50 percent. It is caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains, according to the World Health Organization. There are five identified Ebola virus strains, four of which can cause disease in humans. These include Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan and Taï Forest. The virus causing the 2014 West African outbreak is the Zaire strain.
Ebola is a deadly disease. However, other infectious, more easily transmissible diseases pose an even greater threat to society.
The following list includes the number of diagnoses and deaths for some of the deadliest diseases monitored by the World Health Organization and other global organizations.
- According to the WHO, there are currently 35.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally
- Approximately 1.6 million have died of AIDS-related illnesses across the world in 2012
- Since the epidemic began, about 36 million people have died of HIV
- HIV is spread through the transmission of bodily fluids (blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk)
- In 2012, the WHO estimated 8.6 million people developed TB around the world
- Approximately 1.3 million people died from the disease in 2012
- TB is transmitted through the spread of droplets from the throat of lungs of people with the disease
- According to the WHO, pneumonia killed 1.1 million children under the age of 5 in 2012
- It is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 worldwide, according to the CDC
- It can be caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus commonly cause viral pneumonia, and Streptococcus penumoniae commonly causes bacterial pneumonia
- According to the WHO, there are about 1.7 billion cases globally each year
- Approximately 760,000 children under the age of five died from infectious diarrhea in 2012
- Infectious diarrhea can be caused by a variety of pathogens, and can be prevented with increased access to clean food and water, and better hygiene and sanitation.
- In 2012, there were approximately 207 million clinical cases of malaria, and there are about 200 million cases reported each year, according to the CDC
- About 627,000 people died from the disease in 2012
- About 3.4 billion people (half of the world's population) live in areas at risk of malaria transmission
- Young children and pregnant women are the most affected by the disease
- According to the WHO, influenza has a global annual attack rate of 5 to 10 percent in adults and 20 to 30 percent in children
- There are approximately 3 million to 5 million cases worldwide per year and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths
- Death is most common among the very young, elderly or chronically ill
- The most effective method of prevention is vaccination