PULSE Magazine | October 2018 Issue

DATA FROM WORLDATLAS 4/2017

The top 5 animals that kill the most humans world- wide each year? WHAT IS...

The modern day human has evolved over millions of years in spite of considerable obstacles. The fact that we exist today means that have adapted to and were able to escape the threat of death through century's of education. With the expansion of agriculture and civilization came infectious diseases spread by animals nearly wiping out the entire world population on several occasions. Today, animals still present a hazard to humans, and this article looks at which of them kill the biggest number of humans.

Mosquitoes and humans themselves could be regarded as the deadli- est animals responsible for the largest numbers of human deaths.

Animals that Kill the Greatest Number of Humans

The Mosquito Surprisingly, the most dangerous animal to humans is not a large, sharp-toothed predator but rather a tiny, buzzing insect. Mosquitoes are responsible for around 725,000 deaths per year. Most people consider them nothing more than a summer evening nuisance, but they are the deadliest animal on earth. Mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue, West Nile disease, yellow fever, and Zika disease cause widespread suffering and death. Humans Approximately 475,000 people die every year at the hand of fellow man. In a world filled with conflict, war, murders, and acts of terrorism, this is unfortunately not that surprising. Deaths among humans are intentional and pre-calculated making them beyond tragic. Snakes Perhaps one of the least appreciated animals on earth is also the third most dangerous. Snakes kill at least 50,000 people annually. Fatal bites by venomous snakes often go unreported which could mean that the figure of 50,000 could be even higher. Public health officials often overlook this potential threat. Dogs Man’s best friend? Not always. Dogs kill 25,000 people yearly. These deaths are not because of vicious mauling's by household pets, however. Feral and stray dogs infected with rabies attack people and spread the disease. Tsese Flies, Kissing Bugs (Assassin Bugs), Freshwater Snails Tsetse flies throughout Africa are carriers of the parasite that causes the sleeping sickness disease and responsible for 10,000 reported deaths each year. This disease affects sub-Saharan Africa particularly in very rural and undeveloped areas where people rely on livestock which can also become infected. Kissing bugs, are attracted to lights in homes where they find their prey, humans. These bugs bite peo- ple spreading the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Chagas disease leads to major organ failure and kills 10,000 people every year. Another 10,000 lives are lost to freshwater snails which carry parasites. Infected snails can pass along schistosomiasis to humans which cause flu-like symptoms, blood-vomits, and leg paralysis. All of these parasites have increasingly spread to wider areas due to the rise in global climate change and increasing populations that lead to unsanitary living conditions.

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