Have you ever been scared by the idea of death? If the answer is negative then you may like to think again. Here is a list of top ten most hazardous diseases of the developing world which can affect any one if one doesn’t take enough precautions attached with them. These diseases have been ranked by their annual death toll which is updated annually. The list is as follows:

1. Respiratory Infections
Mostly these lower respiratory infections include pneumonia and  diseases of the lungs, tracheal tube etc. These diseases often spread by coughing, sneezing, laughing or exhaling. These diseases have an annual death toll of more than four million people.

2. HIV/AIDS
“Human immunodeficiency virus” also known as HIV, destroys the immune system of human body. It can spread by unprotected sex, unsafe blood transfusions or contaminated needles and from even mother to child during child birth. The death toll of this deadly disease stands at more than 3 million deaths annually

3. Malaria
Malaria is spread by mosquito bites and usually turns fatal if proper treatment is not meted out to the patient. The death toll for this disease stands between one million and five million annually and the number of people affected by it in the world stands around 300 million. The best prevention to this disease is the use insecticide-treated mosquito nets and spraying of indoor insecticide.

4. Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is caused by cholera or dysentery and is a result of infection from bacteria and microscopic worms. Dehydration is the most common cause of death in deaths related with diarrhoea. The death toll for this disease stands at around two million deaths annually. Contaminated food or water usually leads to being infected by diarrhoea.

5. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis or “TB” as it is commonly known is spread by coughing or sneezing and its common symptoms are weight loss, weakness and common chills. The annual death toll stands at two million. It’s most common treatment is DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy Short Course).

6. Measles
Measles is usually caused by coughing and sneezing as it is highly contagious and can cause damage to brain or blindness and can lead to death if proper medical treatment is not administered. The death toll stands at half million cases per year. Successful vaccination has been developed to fight this scourge and can be treated with drugs.

7. Whooping Cough
It is caused by coughing, sneezing or talking. It’s a highly communicable disease caused by bacterial infection in respiratory tract and the annual death toll stands between two to three million cases per year. It can be treated by antibiotics and vaccines.

8. Tetanus
Its also known as lockjaw. Tetanus is a disease caused in our central nervous system due to an untreated wound getting infected by bacteria. Annual death toll stands at around two million cases per year. This disease can be prevented by vaccines.

9. Meningitis
It is a highly fatal infectious disease that affects the brain and is caused by close contact or sharing of utensils. The annual death toll stands at around two million. It can be prevented by vaccines and antibiotics including penicillin but often five to ten percent patients die even after treatment.

10. Syphilis
It is caused by unprotected sexual intimacy and can even be passed by a mother to her child during birth. Many common antibiotics do not work against this disease and the annual death toll stands at one and a half million.

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Here are ten people who in 20th century changed the course of history, due to their actions or due to their beliefs and their ability to lead the masses. History may judge them as villains or as heroes, but their role as change makers is undeniable.

1.    Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

A frail man, with a simple philosophy of non-violence, and the ability to lead an entire nation with just his words sounded the death knell of colonialism in the 20th Century. Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela have all followed his footsteps in their quests.

2.    Adolf Hitler

A highly reviled man, nevertheless we tend to forget that he raised a defeated Germany into one of the world’s strongest fighting machines. His political ambitions, his quest for power and his belief in the supremacy of the Aryan race were his undoing, but due to his actions he changed the course of history in the 20th century.

3.    Winston Churchill

A master statesman and strategist, he lead his tiny nation to victory in one of the most turbulent times in history. Considered to be Britain’s greatest war-time leader, his oratorical skills, and his bonding with Roosevelt helped the Allies to triumph over Hitler’s army.

4.    Mikhail Gorbachev

Pushing open the doors of reform, he spelt the end of communism as an all pervasive system of governance. His effective summits with Ronald Reagan closed the doors on the Cold War, and he presided over the dissolution of the Soviet Union. History will remember him as a man who shaped the destinies of many nations.

5.    Martin Luther King

Many believe that it was his struggles for racial equality which spelt the doom of segregation in the United States. He was at the helm of the movement, where blacks and whites alike stood up to fight centuries of discrimination, and to him goes the credit for the victory that they achieved.

6.    Mao Zedong

Regarded by many in China as a political revolutionary and strategist and military mastermind, he ruled his nation with an iron hand for almost 30 years. He made his country into a world power but also left behind a legacy of a closed nation, and failed socialist policies.

7.    Nelson Mandela

A symbol of the anti-apartheid movement, he spent 27 years in prison, and yet emerged from there as a leader and a pacifist. The first elected President of a fully represented democratic election, he lead his nation during the turbulent times of transition from a white rule to an all-inclusive regime.

8.    Ho Chi Minh

He perfected the art of guerrilla warfare, his regime gave America its first defeat on foreign soil, and he prevented the French from continuing their colonization of Indo-China. Even though he died before the Vietnam War had ended, His legacy remains in the form of a unified Vietnam.

9.    Sadaam Hussein

A man who ruled Iraq for over 24 years, he changed history by being responsible for one of America’s most controversial wars. Even though he led a very repressive regime, yet during his regime Iraq’s economy grew at a rapid pace. Vilified by many, and revered by some, he remains one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century.

10.     Ayatullah Khomeini

A religious leader of immense eminence, he lead his nation against a brutal regime, and later with his open defiance of the West, he formed a new kind of religious government, and led to a tremendous revival of Islam in Iran. An ascetic religious leader, he is however better known for his political skills and his charismatic popularity in Iran, and elsewhere in the Middle East.

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Top 10 List has no position about whether or not these are really greatest or most influential religious leaders of the 20th/21st Century List. If you have an alternative list of religious leaders which you would like included here, please feel free to comment below.

1.    Dalai Lama – He is the spiritual head of over 80,000 Tibetans living in exile, but he has influenced many more people all over the world. He spreads a message of non-violence, peaceful co-existence and humility based on his religion. His renowned charisma and oratorical skills have made him one of the world’s best known religious heads.

2.    Mother Teresa – Though she cannot really be termed as a religious leader but her iconic image of a nun working for the poorest of the poor, has done more for the Catholic Church than anyone else. Her simplicity and hard work and firm belief in her role as a missionary of Jesus made her into a reluctant world-wide religious figure.

3.    Pope John Paul II – His was the second-longest pontificate, and one of the most influential. He strengthened ties with Judaism, Anglican Communion, and with the Eastern Orthodox Church. He also beatified 1340 people from all over the world and was the most traveled Pope of all times.

4.    Billy Graham – America’s greatest revivalist, Billy Graham has preached to over 2.2 billion people. Anointed as “America’s Pastor”, he has influenced Presidents and common citizens alike. His sincerity and integrity are unquestionable and he is one of the most admired men of America.

5.    Mary Baker Eddy – Best known as the founder of the Christian Science Movement, her legacy continue 100 years after her death in the writings and in the magazine “Christian Science Monitor”. A spiritual teacher and a healer, she is believed to have influenced the social and religious movements of the early 20th century.

6.    Bishop Desmond Tutu – the emeritus Archbishop of Cape Town, he used his pre-eminent status to oppose Apartheid and help South Africa stand up as a unified nation after Mandela came into power. Even after retirement he works on issues concerning democracy and human rights.

7.    Master Li Hongzhi – He founded the spiritual discipline Falun Gong in China in 1992. Today it is believed that he has over 70 million followers. Presently based in the US, his “heavy emphasis on morality makes it appear to be a religion”.

8.    Archbishop Makarios – One of the few religious leaders who played dual roles as a religious leader and as an elected head of the Government. He was the Archbishop of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and also as the President of the Republic of Cyprus. Even though his reign was full of controversies, yet he remained one of the most notable religious and political figures of his time.

9.    Louis Farrakhan – A controversial religious leader, he commands a large following in the “Nation of Islam” and he is one Black America’s strongest advocates. His influence extends more due to his standing as an African American, rather than as a religious leader.

10.    Ayatullah Khomeini – Believed by many to be the greatest Islamic leader of the 20th Century, his defiance of the West, and his ability to preside over the overthrow of a brutal regime in Iran, made him a figure to revered and feared. A religious leader who was also a master strategist, he led a revolution and changed the course of history in the Middle East.

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