Sorinphyre wrote:
I was asking this question to my coworkers today, and got some interesting responses.

For me, I think of the scariest disease in the world is Fatal Familial Insomnia.  Your brain literally LOSES THE ABILITY TO FALL ASLEEP.  Lethal within 6 months, as your brain de-myelinates to the point where it can no longer support life.  No treatment.  No cure.

Scariest by what standard?

If you're dying, then simple pneumonia (where effectively you're not able to breath b/c of fluid buildup in your lungs) would be bad.  But the reality is that if you're dying, any disease in which you're conscious and feeling pain would be bad.

Ebola and any of the hemorraghic viruses are bad stuff (Ebola, Marburg, Reston, etc.).  But they burn out pretty quickly.  Generally speaking, from the time you begin to feel symptoms to the time you crash and bleed out is no more than two weeks.

Now, if you're talking about a disease from a public health perspective, than some variant on influenza virus would do it--like a virulent mutation of an avian flu.  Airborne--meaning it would spread easily and rapidly with quarantine being pretty futile.  And if it was a new strain that spread quickly, we wouldn't have time to develop a vaccine.  And as an adult, you'd see your parents and your children/nieces/nephews all go first (b/c they'd be more susceptible).

Ed

Jerry Nemeth wrote:

You were very sick not long ago.

W blood cancer not ass cancer lol. 

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:

W blood cancer not ass cancer lol. 

You've got blood in yer azz too don't ya  .  .  .  so, yes, you also had azz cancer Big A  .  .  .    A little dark humor to lighten the mood  .  .  .  BTW, jest how iz ya feelin' now  .  .  .

SOS

Reflected wrote:
but most of all beware the boy...

Hahahahaha

sospix wrote:
Based on my current advanced yearly count, I'm thinkin' old age is a real killer  .  .  .    I've survived cancer (twice), joint replacement (thrice), about every "regular" disease known to man (all the childhood ones, all the "around the world" ones as my family traversed the world growing up, including malaria)  .  .  .  but, this aging thing is relentless, and so far, no cure  .  .  . 

SOS

And the plague and all those cooties y'all had back in your day.  You survived those too. 

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:
Hahahahaha

No fun intended.  Just as, I'm sure, you intended no irony.

Sorinphyre wrote:
I was asking this question to my coworkers today, and got some interesting responses.

For me, I think of the scariest disease in the world is Fatal Familial Insomnia.  Your brain literally LOSES THE ABILITY TO FALL ASLEEP.  Lethal within 6 months, as your brain de-myelinates to the point where it can no longer support life.  No treatment.  No cure.

wow...never heard of that one.

I'm thinking the ebola virus.

Sorinphyre wrote:
I was asking this question to my coworkers today, and got some interesting responses.

For me, I think of the scariest disease in the world is Fatal Familial Insomnia.  Your brain literally LOSES THE ABILITY TO FALL ASLEEP.  Lethal within 6 months, as your brain de-myelinates to the point where it can no longer support life.  No treatment.  No cure.

Yeah, that one - it's caused by prions and has a hereditary component.

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:

And the plague and all those cooties y'all had back in your day.  You survived those too. 

I may still have some "cooties" somewhere  .  .  . 

Ahhhhhhhh, there they are  .  .  .



SOS

Will Snizek wrote:
Scariest disease I'd have to say is Dissociative identity disorder.

While it is scary, it is not fatal. OP stated fatal diseases.

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:
Rabies would be a horrible way to go also!

I was thinking that too.

There is a survivor (from WI) without a vaccine. I think the doctors induced a coma to protect herself from her brain.

It's been a while since I read the case.

-Nicole- wrote:

I was thinking that too.

There is a survivor (from WI) without a vaccine. I think the doctors induced a coma to protect herself from her brain.

It's been a while since I read the case.

Damn.  I couldn't even imagine.  One of my friends asked if I couldn't go of natural causes, would I choose trauma or a disease as a way to go?   I'm like whatever is quicker and hurts less!   Haha.  Prob trauma.  Bc even infectious diseases which can kill the patient relatively quickly still on the whole would take longer than a traumatic injury.  Also, the patient would have more awareness throughout the process.

DarcieK wrote:

While it is scary, it is not fatal. OP stated fatal diseases.

It can be fatal and often is.

AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:
Pity the OP didn't include parasites. There's a few awful ones that exist.

There's that one in Africa where you can see it running under your skin. That would be kind of bad too, and plenty .

Thats one of my biggest horror-movie-esque fears. Turns my stomach to think about.

Laura UnBound wrote:

Thats one of my biggest horror-movie-esque fears. Turns my stomach to think about.

omg this too forgot about parasites

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:

W blood cancer not ass cancer lol. 

I know. 

Sorinphyre wrote:
Did you not read my original post?  FATAL FAMILIAL INSOMNIA!  Look it up.

Oh damn!  I did miss that!  I must have been tired, because I did fall asleep.  As bad as I feel when I don't get enough sleep, I would not wish that death on my worse enemy!  I remember an episode of Law and Order with a victim of this disease.  It's a slow, lingering and suffering death.  Worst thing is being aware of it for quite a long time before you die.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

Presentation

The age of onset is variable, ranging from 18 to 60, with an average of 50. However the disease tends to prominently occur in later years, primarily following giving birth. The disease can be detected prior to onset by genetic testing.[11] Death usually occurs between 7 and 36 months from onset. The presentation of the disease varies considerably from person to person, even among patients from within the same family.
The disease has four stages, taking 7 to 18 months to run its course:
The patient suffers increasing insomnia, resulting in panic attacks, paranoia, and phobias. This stage lasts for about four months.
Hallucinations and panic attacks become noticeable, continuing for about five months.
Complete inability to sleep is followed by rapid loss of weight. This lasts for about three months.
Dementia, during which the patient becomes unresponsive or mute over the course of six months. This is the final progression of the disease, after which death follows.
Other symptoms include profuse sweating, pinpoint pupils, the sudden entrance into menopause for women and impotence for men, neck stiffness, and elevation of blood pressure and heart rate. Constipation is common as well.

DarcieK wrote:

While it is scary, it is not fatal. OP stated fatal diseases.

No I didn't.

Laura UnBound wrote:

Thats one of my biggest horror-movie-esque fears. Turns my stomach to think about.

And 6 of the worst parasites I could find

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/08/21/six … parasites/

AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:

And 6 of the worst parasites I could find

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/08/21/six … parasites/

You've got... TWO TICKETS TO PARASIIIIIITES!!!!!

Big A-Larger Than Life wrote:
Yeah, but with Ebola your insides liquefy into soup...

Ebolaviruses rarely cause severe hemorrhagic fever. You need to burn your copy of The Hot Zone. It's mostly bullshit.

Tony-S wrote:

Ebolaviruses rarely cause severe hemorrhagic fever. You need to burn your copy of The Hot Zone. It's mostly bullshit.

Well she's been to med school, so....

AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:

And 6 of the worst parasites I could find

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/08/21/six … parasites/

I only read #1.....

Cherrystone wrote:

Well she's been to med school, so....

So, what?

Sorinphyre wrote:

No I didn't.

Oh, I'm sorry. I misread the OP then. I thought you meant pathogens/diseases that were fatal. I apologize.

-Nicole- wrote:
Diseases don't necessarily scare me as much as parasites do. Knowing you're a host to something feeding off you and growing in your body.....NO THANKS.

government bureaucrats are another form of parasite