Ebola? Not even in the Top Ten of Deadliest Viruses to Ever Exist

[Fred Sanders]

Ebola is like ISIS? Only in a cable news anchors wet dream.

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Top 10 Deadliest Viruses To Ever Exist

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/561281/20140731/ebola-virus-outbreak.htm#.VDP6P26Ehjo


An out of control Ebola outbreak that is being called the biggest in history is wrecking havoc in West Africa and experts fear that it's far from over. As of July 23, 2014, according to the World Health organization, the Ebola virus disease has claimed 672 lives and has infected 1,201 people. Ebola is highly contagious with a death rate of 90%. Only a mere 10% of its victims survive. It is transferred through direct contact with the blood, secretions and other bodily fluids of infected animals and humans.

Scary as it might sound Ebola is not the only deadly virus known to man. Scientists estimate that there exists about 1031 viruses on earth and here are a few of its deadliest.


1. Marburg Virus

The Marburg virus causes a rare, but severe hemorrhagic fever that has a fatality rate of 88%. It was first identified in 1967 when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever cropped up simultaneously in Marburg, where the disease got its name, Frankfurt in Germany and Belgrade, Serbia.

Marburg and Ebola came from the Filoviridae family of viruses. They both have the capacity to cause dramatic outbreaks with the greatest fatality rates. It is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads to humans through direct contact with the blood, secretions and other bodily fluids of infected humans. No anti-viral treatment or vaccine exists against the Marburg virus.

2. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF)


The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a common disease transmitted by a tick-Bourne virus. The virus causes major hemorrhagic fever outbreaks with a fatality rate of up to 30%. It is chiefly transmitted to people through tick and livestock. Person-to-person transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood, secretions and other bodily fluids of an infected person. No vaccination exists for both humans and animals against CCHF.

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Still not convinced that Ebola Fear is a media generated panic? Check out the other top ten.

[Botany]

1. + 1

n/t

[Drayden]

2. Huh?

HIV is deadlier than ebola? Wrong! Same for malaria and yellow fever. These disesaseses may have killed more, because they have been around longer and are more common. But ebola is pretty damn deadly.

[LisaL]

4. And anthrax is not a virus. It's also not contageous.

[Marrah_G]

6. HIV is definitely more deadly

One of the reasons is that it is spread before the patient even knows they are sick and it takes a relatively long time to show any symptoms.

Also the article keeps saying 90%. The reality is that it is about 50%. The 90% figure is with no medical care or substandard medical care.

[LisaL]

7. HIV has a very long incubation period.

And long duration.
Ebola kills within days.
Like somebody else said, Ebola can accomplish in days what takes HIV years.
So Ebola clearly is more deadly. There is no contest.

[Marrah_G]

10. But because it kills relatively quickly it does not have the same chances to spread.

HIV has been devastating, killing tens of millions. If you look at the over all picture, Ebola has had few outbreaks and has killed a very small amount of people compared to other viruses.

[LisaL]

12. Ebola had few outbreaks. Until now.

CDC is predicting close to a million victims in 2015 if the current outbreak continues as it had.

[Marrah_G]

14. Yes, due to lack of medical care and poverty

If they world does not wake up and step in it will be bad for poor nations in Africa.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Almost half of those aren't viruses.

Cholera, typhoid, and anthrax are caused by bacteria; malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite.

The total number of recorded deaths attributable to Marburg virus is fewer than one thousand (for ebola, counting the current outbreak, it's probably in the tens of thousands). The article itself attributes a 90% fatality rate to ebola, which is higher than Marburg.

In terms of total deaths, the deadliest human virus ever is probably smallpox. In terms of percentage of infected persons who die, it seems to be a toss-up between Marburg and ebola.

[LisaL]

5. Rabies is the most lethal virus. The death rate is close to a 100 % if person becomes symptomatic.

Thankfully we have a vaccine.
But rabies are not even mentioned in this article. The article is clearly poorly written. If the author was going to talk about 10 deadliest viruses, then he should have talked about viruses.
Only some of the things he lists are even viruses.

[Marrah_G]

8. I agree, except for the 90% figure

It's really at about 50%.

The 90% came from previous outbreaks where the people had little to no medical care.

[LisaL]

9. Agree with what?

Do you understand the difference between virus and bacteria?

[Marrah_G]

11. Yes I do

I understand the difference well.

[LisaL]

13. Apparently the author of the article doesn't.

Because he claims he is going to talk about 10 deadliest viruses. But nearly half of the things he mentions aren't even viruses.

[Marrah_G]

15. Yes, I know

[tkmorris]

17. You're acerbic today

Why so aggressive?

[kestrel91316]

28. Probably because this article, supposedly so authoritative, gets a huge Medical Microbiology FAIL.

[B2G]

16. They don't really know the death rate

It's at LEAST 50% but many scientists are estimating the actual rate is closer to 70%.

This is because they are just comparing current deaths to current infections without any idea how may of those currently infected will go on to die. If they would 'freeze' the current infection number and go on to track how many of those die in total, you'll have the actual rate.
But that's not happening because they keep adding to the number infected.

And this article is from the end of July, just to point that out.

[LisaL]

18. And the official numbers are clearly low balling the actual numbers.

It's got to be way more than reported (even according to CDC).

[Marrah_G]

19. Even 50% is enormously high for a virus.

But for some reason the media needs to keep trying to make it sound even worse.

[LisaL]

20. It is worse than 50 %.

CDC estimates it at 70 %.

[Marrah_G]

21. Have a nice day Lisa.

[kestrel91316]

29. She is correct. Ebola has a mortality rate of at least 70%.

And the more overwhelmed the health care systems get, the higher that goes. Cases are doubling every three weeks. If you can't see where that is headed, you are not paying attention.

[librechik]

22. nobody thought much of influenza when it first appeared, either

and we're still dealing with thousands of deaths every year, even after it's "controlled."

Sure the media is out of line here. That doesn't mean there isn't a significant danger.

[tkmorris]

23. I'd delete this Fred

It's an embarrassingly bad article.

[Fred Sanders]

31. True, some of the deadly infectious diseases are not viruses, noted, but the thrust of my posting is

not to be so panicked by another infectious outbreak, they are all controllable and have been controlled in worse situations, it is all in the field of epidemiology and epidemic control....with that caveat I will leave the post up...the author could have added top ten viruses and infectious diseases, but one can read that in easily enough.

[uppityperson]

24. They need to change "virus" to microbe for me to rec this.

[Bosonic]

25. So everyone just chillax

CDC Attempts To Put Ebola Outbreak In Perspective By Releasing List Of Worse Ways To Die

WASHINGTON—Hoping to downplay fears of a potential Ebola outbreak in the United States, CDC officials aimed to put the disease in perspective Monday by releasing a list of worse ways to die than the infectious hemorrhagic virus.

“It is understandable that individuals may be concerned by the presence of Ebola in the United States, but the general public should relax and recognize that there are quite a number of ways of dying that are, in fact, more terrible than succumbing to this disease; indeed, we were able to come up with several dozen,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden, adding that the 50-item list, which is currently available on the agency’s website, includes scenarios such as contracting leprosy and smallpox simultaneously, suffering dozens of infected bullet and stab wounds, and falling into an industrial-size wood chipper, climbing out part way, and then falling back in again.

“While the public should continue to exercise a prudent level of caution, also remember that you could trip and land in a vat of caustic industrial solvent that slowly eats away at your body, or you could be sucked out of a jagged, shattered airplane window at 38,000 feet. We do not take your worries lightly, but know that there are, conceivably, more awful ways to go.” Frieden further attempted to assuage the American populace by reminding them that dying of Ebola in the United States was still a far better experience than dying of Ebola in Africa

http://www.theonion.com/articles/cdc-attempts-to-put-ebola-outbreak-in-perspective,37109/

[Journeyman]

32. This was the very thought I had while reading the OP . . .

The Onion had better examples than I was coming up with, but just as ridiculous.

[smirkymonkey]

39. LOL!

The Onion always manages to put things into perspective.

[lapislzi]

26. I am not familiar with this source. Reporting is highly suspect.

In addition to the medical inaccuracies noted by other DUers in this thread, the article is poorly written and full of all kinds of other errors. I would not consider this a reliable source of anything.

[kestrel91316]

27. Your source has ZERO credibility. Maybe even negative credibility. Here's why:

#5 Malaria - NOT A VIRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a protozoan parasite.

#6 Typhoid fever - NOT A VIRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a bacterial infection.

#7 Cholera - NOT A VIRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a bacterial infection, too.

#9 Anthrax - NOT A VIRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet another BACTERIAL infection. Idiot.

Medical. Microbiology. FAIL.

[BlindTiresias]

30. yeah jeez

I felt kind of embarrassed for the author just by reading it.

[CTyankee]

33. what about the Spanish Influenza?

My mother once told me that as a little girl she remembers people being sick and everyone was so fearful.

https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/

[Agschmid]

34. Many of these are not even viruses?

This is an odd source.

[Rex]

35. Fappening 4 Includes Nude Selfie Leaks Of Male Celebrities Such As Nick Hogan

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/568658/20141006/fappening-4-includes-nude-selfie-leaks-male.htm#.VDQYuPldVCg

Interesting site you have there.

[cali]

36. Running away from your op failure, Fred?

[Fred Sanders]

37. Still scared and panicky, cali?

[cali]

40. not at all freddie.

never was. Can't imagine I will be. I tend toward fatalism, my dear. I'm also partial to accurate information. something you seem allergic to.

ta ta, fred old boy

[eppur_se_muova]

38. "tick-Bourne" ?? WTF ??

Bash is out, now Bourne ? I'm switching to Korn.