Diseases come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, wreaking havoc in people’s immune systems in their wake. Over the course of history, we’ve come closer and closer to eradicating them all but to no avail. Diseases have been far too elusive for us as a whole. However, we have been quite successful in wiping out literal horrors like the Bubonic plague or Small Pox.  Such diseases have been the cause of literally millions upon millions of deaths. For instance, the Bubonic plague nearly wiped out the entirety of Europe, and had that happened, the world would be nowhere as advanced or progressive as it is today. We would have been set back centuries, had it not been for a good deal of luck and skilled scientists hunting up vaccines to help out humanity survive these horrors.

Had we been living in the 16th century, the Black Plague would surely have been on top of our list, but it has long since been defeated. However, we still have a long way to go in our battle to fight other fatal diseases. There are still deadly diseases around which we have no idea how to fight, and their effects and method of spreading are the stuff of nightmares, especially since we’ve got little knowledge of the intricacies of how they actually work. All our technology is useless if these diseases decide to pay us a visit. Here are some of the most horrific diseases in the world and what you can do in order to avoid them:

Rabies

This one doesn’t get talked about a lot, and we don’t get many cases of it anyway. That’s because governments all around the world have strict procedures to combat the disease and stop it in its tracks before it has the chance to do any real damage. One major detail that you need to know is that rabies is prevalent over most of the known planet. Australia is one of the few places where it isn’t dominant, and the reason for its spread over the entire globe is its resilience against nature. This disease is almost impossible to take out using normal means and lives inside the rotting body of its victim for years until another animal comes to eat it, transferring the disease onto the next victim.

Whenever you go camping and you see a small scratch or injury which shouldn’t be there, you must go to a hospital immediately because chances are a bat with rabies has bitten or scratched you without you noticing. Rabies is harmless until it makes its way to your brain through your nervous system, but once it gets there, there’s almost no chance of the victim’s survival.

Huntington’s Disease

There is absolutely no way for us to alter the course of this disease, and there are no known cures either. It can be passed down from one’s parents, making it pretty much impossible to avoid as well. Like Alzheimer‘s, this disease starts killing off the victim’s brain cells, and there’s a 50% chance that the child of a victim suffering from this disease will also have it. This illness attacks while a person is at their prime and chews away at them over a span of a few years till there’s nothing left. The results can be a complete change in personality which is also coupled with depression. It can also eat away at a person’s memory similar to dementia and causes people to move without intent. Slowly, the victim’s ability to communicate properly is hindered, and they eventually succumb to the disease.

Ebola

Most people had an Ebola scare a few years ago and then forgot all about it, but the disease is very much alive and still a huge threat! It can enter a human via an animal, from where it’s free to spread among humans without any difficulties. It’s often fatal, and almost half the victims end up dying due to the disease. Ebola is responsible for causing internal bleeding if left untreated, coupled with fevers and diarrhea which is almost impossible to deal with. The only way to stay safe is to distance yourself from victims of the disease.

There’s no reason to stay frightened since cures are being worked on around the clock, but it never hurts to stay cautious. Never take your health for granted!