What is the deadliest virus?

ANSWER:

There are two different ways to answer this question, so Ill answer twice.

Influenza. The Flu, over history is responsible for more deaths than any other. In 1918, the Spanish Flu devastated the human species, killing more than 50 million people worldwide, a record for viruses.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (H.I.V.) is a more recent virus which is just as deadly, so it doesn't have the numbers that Influenza does. Influenza also has the ability to adapt and form new strains every flu season, making it hard to combat and rendering the inoculations (or Flu shots) more ineffective and less reliable each year.

In regards to what virus kills the quickest, the Ebola Virus wins first place. It kills when your vital organs basically liquefy in place and you die. This can happen within the first 24 to 48 hours from exposure to the virus.

Answer 2:

Ebola is widely considered the "nastiest" of viral diseases. It is compared to AIDS in many ways. Fortunately, the Ebola Virus is not extremely common. However, when there is an outbreak, it is noted as extremely deadly. It is considered one of the most infectious diseases due to it being able to spread quite easily through the transaction of body fluids (a dirty needle is a major cause, and, like AIDS, it is noted for its ability to travel via sexual intercourse. This is more famous for Ebola's twin, less deadly virus, Marburg). Ebola is also able to travel in the air, but it does so with difficulty.

There's never been a major outbreak outside of Africa, though small occurrences do pop up around the world. The Twin Virus, Marburg, is aptly named for its breakout in Marburg, Germany.

The Ebola Virus (not the Marburg Virus) has two prominent subspecies: Ebola Sudan and Ebola Zaire.

Marburg is the least deadly form of Ebola, with a mortality rate below 50%.
Sudan is slightly worse with a mortality rate just below 70%.
Zaire is considered the worse, with a shocking mortality rate measuring above 90%.

The events recorded in the true story-novel "The Hot Zone", are chronicles of the Ebola outbreaks. It culminates in the climax of the novel outside of Washington DC where an outbreak of Ebola was barely dodged. The subspecies there was particularly deadly toward non-human primates and was discovered in the Reston monkey house in the suburb of Reston.

Ebola is perhaps not the deadliest virus due to its uncommon nature and its inability to spread as much as HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), but it is perhaps the most violent. Victims of Ebola suffer internal bleeding and external bleeding, severe hemorrhaging, mental damage, are considered physically "drained" and suffer from vomiting of Ebola infected blood. Their ribcage are noted for collapsing into themselves along with their flesh. It is also a point of importance that, at least in non-human primates (specifically, African Green Monkeys) their flesh "melts" into a form similar to "soup."

So yes, Ebola is widely considered not only the most deadly virus in the world, but perhaps the worst disease. It is not as much of an efficient killer as a heart attack or even cancer, but those are not viral or bacterial diseases.

First answer by Hooweestik. Last edit by Hooweestik. Contributor trust: 1035 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 9 [recommend question]