Leading Causes of Death Over Next Five Years Named by Russian Academician Gennady Onishchenko

Flu, Cancer and Heart Disease Will Dominate Global Deaths for Years

Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and endocrine disorders—along with influenza—will remain the deadliest illnesses over the next five years, Gennady Onishchenko, an epidemiologist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and deputy president of the Russian Academy of Education (RAE), told TASS.

"Cardiology, oncology, and endocrinology—these are the three leading causes of mortality. Among infectious diseases over the next five years, influenza will remain dominant. Its strains—Influenza A and B—will continue to evolve, but flu will stay at the top," the epidemiologist explained.

He noted that influenza not only escalates cardiovascular complications but also triggers severe secondary conditions.

Onishchenko assured that the list of high-mortality diseases has remained unchanged over the past 20 years. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, influenza continued to cause comparable harm. In fact, he added, COVID-19 measures indirectly reduced flu cases by prompting authorities to impose infection control restrictions.

As for emerging infections, he noted: "Right now, we're talking about mpox [monkeypox], which has already spread to humans. But cholera remains the top concern—the seventh pandemic, which began in 1960, is still ongoing. Fortunately, though, it poses little threat to our country."