Important infectious diseases in the last decade

Abstract

Despite the remarkable advances in medical research and treatment during the 20th century, infectious diseases remain among the leading causes of death worldwide. In a recent survey by the World Health Organization, three infectious diseases are ranked in the top ten causes of death globally - lower respiratory tract infections (3.1 million deaths; 5.5%), HIV/AIDS (1.5 million deaths; 2.7%) and diarrheal diseases (1.5 million deaths; 2.7%). In low-income and lower-middle income countries, malaria and tuberculosis account for an additional two of the major ten causes of death and during the period 2014-2015 are responsible for 438 000 and 1.5 million deaths, respectively (12). In addition to these, vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, meningitis, sexually transmitted infections (other than HIV), Hepatitis B and C, dengue and tropical disease also contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality rates associated with infectious diseases (10).