this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2026
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World’s Deadliest Viruses (www.visualcapitalist.com)
submitted 3 days ago by Innerworld@lemmy.world to c/publichealth@mander.xyz
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[–] GreatTitEnthusiast@mander.xyz 3 points 2 days ago

Deadliest doesn't fit as well as Most Lethal does. Deadliest refers to most cases of death. Lethality measures how likely you are to die is you get it

H5N1 is also a bit more complicated because quiet a few people have gotten it in the US but it presented as conjunctivitis. Milk from infected cows would splash in their eyes and infect them. The virus had no way to get to the respiratory system, though, so it wasn't a threat to anyone

https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2024/06/04/why-bird-flu-is-infecting-peoples-eyes/

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How does this fit in with millions dying from the 'common' cold or flu, or pneumonia, or even COVID?

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

This graphic is misleading because it's about the chance of dying once you already have the virus. If a virus kills a host, the host is no longer running around spreading the virus (and they are easier to track). So some of the "deadliest" viruses listed here only have 4 deaths, probably because they are too lethal.

The actual "most deadly viruses" are ones that have a relatively low fatality rate per infection, but infect a large number of people.

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I thought the mortality rate for rabies was 50% if treatment was started early enough. TIL.

[–] matdave@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Basically, the treatment is to prevent you from getting it if you are exposed. If the virus actually hits your nervous system and develops it is a game over.

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 1 points 2 days ago

Pretty much.

Though three have been since documented cases of untreated rabies not being fatal, the numbers are very low.

So whilst we know rabies is pretty much the deadliest disease, this is only of untreated.

Getting the treatment before it his your nervous system/brain; is almost always successful.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

EBOLA ziare strain was the most lethal. what about smallpox? the most lethal tends to be the least contagious virus.

also for rabies, the theory is that depending on where you get infected on the body is when the onset is, the farther away from the brain the longer the onset of symptoms. Also the "so-called coma protocol was debunked"

marsupials/monotremes are largely resistant to a rabies infections likely due to thier seperate lineage/protein receptors evolution than placentals.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh, did that dude who survived rabies end up dying, or are they figuring 99.999% is close enough?

[–] UnrepentantAlgebra@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I heard on a podcast that it is somewhat common (more than 0.001% anyway) in developing countries for people to test positive for rabies antibodies even though they hadn't been treated for it. Implying that they had been exposed but somehow overcame it.

I thought it was radiolab but I can't find it now...

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 points 2 days ago

There's a minimal viral load for any infection to beat the immune system (which is obviously variable by circumstances), for example HIV is actually present in saliva but in quantity too low to spread that way.

Your body is producing antibodies for infections that never progressed to disease right now, it's all a matter of exposure and circumstance. Whenever you see mortality numbers it's always for an infection that has caused disease.

Keeping in mind infection is the pathogen entering the body and multiplying and a disease is when it damages enough cells to cause illness or symptoms (though the line gets blurry at times)

Anyways, point is that's normal and expected and basically just means rabies is endemic to the region. Rabies has a relatively low required viral load but like most pathogens it's less infectious spread some ways than others.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 5 points 3 days ago

Not entirely convinced that Lujo and Hendra belong on that list. The total deaths don't quite make for a useful sample size for fatality rate.

[–] Gork@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Surprised SARS-COV-2 isn't on that list but original SARS is, in MERV form.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Incidentally, the Ebola virus is mentioned in a Weird Al song from 1999, "Your Horoscope For Today."