It’s very humbling to observe the fragility of human life, when you compare it to nature’s unstoppable force. Bacteria and viruses can wreak havoc, by affecting millions of human lives in the mere duration of a few weeks. The reason behind the world panicking about the corona and Ebola viruses is that they know how easy it can get out of hand. From an evolutionary perspective, humans fear the unknown. The less knowledge we have about a pandemic or a disease outbreak, the harder it is to fight it. Medicine and modern technologies have helped us come a long way, increasing the life expectancy of humans exponentially, but we’re still far from being 100% safe. We’ll take a look at the 5 worst disease outbreaks in history.
Coronavirus
The coronavirus is a huge family containing multiple strains of viruses. But, the one that the world is most worried about is the COVID-19 virus; technically, it’s the cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The origin of the outbreak is estimated to be in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. It’s currently spreading to other continents at an alarming rate. Symptoms are obscure, as it can be mistaken for other diseases; they include coughing, runny nose, fever, and shortness of breath. You should get yourself familiar with Corona virus facts, to know how to protect yourself from it. There are currently 80,000 infected cases, with a death toll of 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. There is no vaccine, yet, for the virus, but it’s believed that the best way to protect yourself is by maintaining proper hygiene practices, such as washing your hand constantly.
Smallpox
Smallpox is one of the oldest and deadliest diseases, which humans have ever encountered. It’s said to have been in existence since the times of the ancient Egyptians. The problem is that the vaccination was introduced in the late 18th century, which means that the disease was unstoppable for thousands of years. According to historical reports, the disease has killed over 60 million people, in the 18th century alone. In the 16th century, the European settlers introduced the disease to their newly discovered land, the Americas; this led to the eradication of most indigenous tribes. Fortunately for us, smallpox was declared eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1980.
The Black Death
The Yersinia pestis bacterium causes the Septicemic, Pneumonic, and Bubonic plague diseases. The ominous disease had a myriad of names; the Great Plague, the Plague, Black Plague, and many others as it ravished humanity like no other disease. The years from 1347 to 1351 was enough for the Plague to impact, and permanently change, the landscape of Europe and other continents. The world population, at that time, was estimated to be close to 500 million. The Black Death alone reaped from 75 to 200 million victims, decimating half of Europe’s population within this short time-span. The disease was brought by sailors, who constantly traveled the Silk Road and used the Sicilian port as they dock. Many experts believe that the Great Plague originated in Asia, and was easily carried around to the rest of the world by fleas and rats. Since the ports were the pulsating heart of markets, and attracted many people, it didn’t take long for the disease to grip humanity by its throat.
Spanish Flu
Many people think that the origin of this disease is in Spain. Contrary to popular belief, the name caught on because the Spanish media were the first to report the global pandemic, while other countries were afraid to do so because of the public’s morale. The estimated death toll from the Spanish Influenza ranges from 50 to 100 million people. The close contact between troops, in World War I, facilitated the spread of the disease.
The Antonine Plague
The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius was the ruler of Rome at the time of the disease outbreak; hence, the name. The outbreak lasted 15 years, from 165 to 180, and the 5 million deaths were relatively high compared to the world’s population, at the time. Expert reports claim that the disease was spread from Seleucia, today’s Iraq, to Rome, as soldiers were sieging the city at that time. Furthermore, the disease claimed the life of two Roman emperors.
No matter the strength of civilization, nature sometimes has its way of messing up our lives. The history of humanity’s battles with pandemics is full of hardships. It’s important to keep your friends and family informed about the latest potential pandemics, potentially saving their lives.
