10 diseases you hope to never get (Part 2).

As we discussed last time, pandemic disease has been a part of human history and its likely to make a return appearance in the future. We already mentioned the Top 5: malaria, smallpox, Spanish flu, tuberculosis, and the Black Death. These next five round out our Top 10 list of deadliest diseases.

6. AIDS – some day this might take over the number one spot on the list. 25 million dead since it emerged in 1981 and 40 million more living with the infection.

7. Cholera – related to the cleanliness of food and water, this one tends to run roughshod over Third World countries. Low mortality rate when treated but nasty when it’s not. You do the math.

8. Typhus – typhus tends to break out where cleanliness breaks down. Think wars and natural disasters when sanitation and hygiene can become almost non-existent.

9. Measles – this has been called the most contagious disease known to man, and is especially virulent among small children. It’s rarely fatal in the developed world but can blossom out of control in poor countries.

10. Scarlet fever – this one used to be more fearful than it is today. In 19th century Europe, scarlet fever accounted for 25% of all deaths. Rarely fatal now, it used to be a child killer like no other.

Does all this talk of disease make you want to wrap yourself in plastic and never come out? That’s one option but a better one might be to familiarize yourself with how to put together proper medical/sanitary kits in case any of these monster illnesses ever passes your way.

The Holistic Survival Team