THE TOP 10 DEADLIEST VIRUSES

1. HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus is transmitted via certain bodily fluids. Related illnesses claimed the lives of about 1 million people worldwide in 2016.

2. HEPATITIS B

In 2015 hepatitis B caused almost 900,000 deaths, with most of them being attributed to complications. HBV is transmitted via blood or other bodily fluids.

3. INFLUENZA

Flu epidemics kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people annually. In the U.S., the flu is the seventh leading cause of death.

4. HEPATITIS C

An estimated 400,000 people die each year of an HCV infection. Many people become infected by sharing needles when injecting drugs.

5. ROTAVIRUS

Rotavirus is transmitted by way of a fecal-oral route. Infection causes diarrheal disease in young children and killed 128,500 of them around the world in 2016.

6. MEASLES

Children are most likely to fall victim to the measles virus. In 2016, measles killed 90,000 people worldwide.

7. YELLOW FEVER

The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, most often in South America and Africa. Worldwide, it causes up to 60,000 deaths annually.

8. RABIES VIRUS

Rabies causes an estimated 55,000 deaths per year worldwide. It is mostly transmitted via an animal bite.

9. DENGUE FEVER

A deadly mosquito bite: 25,000 people die each year due to infection by the dengue virus.

7. HANTAVIRUS

This virus is only transmitted from rodents to humans. Although it is relatively rare in the developed world the virus is often fatal, with a case fatality rate of 36%.