The 5 most deadly contagious diseases

From March to Sept. 7, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has caused more than 2,200 reported deaths, making it the largest Ebola outbreak in history and the first Ebola epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But how does Ebola compare to other contagious diseases in terms of deaths?

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NPR looked at data from the World Health Organization and the CDC to uncover the deadliest contagious diseases by death toll. The top five are as follows:

HIV/AIDS: 1.6 million deaths in 2012
Tuberculosis: 1.3 million deaths in 2012
Pneumonia: 1.1 million children under the age of five, according to yearly estimates
Infectious diarrhea: 760,000 children under the age of five, according to yearly estimates
Malaria: 627,000 deaths

For most of these diseases, survival rate increases with access to medical care and treatment, the NPR report noted.

More articles on infection control:

CDC offers Ebola training course for healthcare workers traveling to Africa
Top 10 infection control stories, September 8-12
US to send troops to battle Ebola

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