5 DEADLIEST VIRUSES

1 Ebola Ebola causes haemorrhagic fever, killing an average of 50 per cent of people infected. The outbreak between 2014 and 2016 was the largest ever recorded.

2 Marburg Carried by fruit bats, Marburg virus is fatal in around 50 per cent of cases. It’s part of the same virus family as Ebola, both of which damage the blood vessels.

3 Crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever This virus kills up to 40 per cent of people infected, usually within two weeks. It’s transmitted by ticks in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

4 Coronaviruses MERS and SARS are types of coronaviruses that cause a cough, fever and breathlessness. MERS kills up to 35 per cent of patients.

5 Nipah Nipah virus first appeared in 1998. It’s carried by fruit bats and causes fever, headaches, drowsiness and sometimes fatal brain swelling.