With the world becoming a global village, people have been more connected than ever before. Comforting accommodation and shorter travel distances have majorly increased human migration. Increased trade is another example of our everyday interaction with people from all around the world. Due to this, diseases have become more widespread and can affect not only the neighboring regions but also the far-away states.
Ordered chronologically, here are the ten worst epidemics and pandemics the world has ever seen:
- Antonine Plague (165 AD)
The Antonine plague of 165 AD, also known as the plague of Galen killed approximately 5 million people throughout the world. It spread widely in Egypt, Greece, Asia, and Italy. Though its real cause remains unknown, some researchers have inferred it to be either an early smallpox hit or measles. This ancient pandemic is believed to have begun with the Huns, who infected the Germans and then finally the Romans. Mostly the soldiers who returned from Mesopotamia were its potential carriers. Some of the major symptoms of the Antonine Plague included diarrhea, sore throat, and fever. It highly affected the Roman army and even Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who too is believed to have succumbed to the pandemic.
2) Plague of Justinian (541- 542 AD)
Another worst-hit pandemic ever recorded in the history of the world is referred to as the Plague of Justinian. With a death toll of over 25 million people, it is believed to have killed almost half of the then European population. In 541 AD, the outbreak affected the Mediterranean port cities including Constantinople city and the whole Byzantine Empire. It is considered to be the first-ever registered incident of the bubonic plague bacteria. The possible carriers of this disease were believed to be fleas and body lice. The Plague of Justinian caused widespread destruction and created massive economic problems.
3) The Black Death Plague (around 1350)
The Black Death Plague has been written down in the books of history as the most destructive epidemic ever! It is believed to have been responsible for extinguishing a third of the then world population, killing around 200 million people at once. The outbreak was thought to have emerged from Asia but was quick enough to spread rapidly across continents. In around 1350, ports were the major urban centers and thus, the plague was expected to have entered through the port of Messina Sicily. Major carriers of the disease were fleas and rats. Due to the Black Death Plague, the world economy collapsed, changing the economic situation forever.
4) The Third Cholera Pandemic (1846-1860)
Killing approximately one million people from 1846 to 1860, the third outbreak of Cholera is still considered to be the deadliest of them all seven. Cholera originated from the Ganges River Delta of India. Later, it spread throughout Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe at a very fast pace. During its early stages, the main reason for cholera was unknown. It was only in 1854, that a British researcher named Jon Snow decoded the real cause of the disease which was killing thousands of people on a daily basis. Contaminated Water was the means of transmission of Cholera.
5) Third Plague Pandemic (1855-1945)
Born in Yunnan in China and later moving on to Hong Kong, India, and then the entire world, the third plague pandemic was enormously destructive. It was caused by the bubonic plague bacteria which was easily transmitted through lice and fleas. Almost around for a century from 1855 to 1945, the third plague pandemic killed more than 15 million people! One of the main reasons for this China-born disease affecting even the United States population was the opium and tin trade. The flea-infested rats propagated the bacteria, giving rise to this world pandemic.
6)Spanish Flu (1918)
Spanish flu started to spread around the spring season of 1918 and was around until the 1919 summer season. It was an airborne disease that was easily transmitted from an infected people’s breath, sneeze, and cough. Believed to be caused by the H1N1 strain A virus, this disease gave birth to a massive pandemic, killing around 100 million people during its active time. Spanish Flu originated in Europe and was then spread to the other parts of the world including the United States and Asia. Perceived to be an outcome of the modern transportation and movements during the first world war, this flu affected humans greatly and is hence one of the worst pandemics ever!
7) Asian Flu (1957- 1958)
Having emerged from Hong Kong, and later spreading across China, the Asian Flu took approximately two million lives from 1957 to 1958. The outbreak was caused by the H2N2 type of Influenza A virus. In a short span of time, it jumped over continents and even affected the United States and Singapore. Though the first wave was lighter killing thousands of people, the second wave rushed to wipe a whole chunk of the world population. People suffered from the Asian Flu until a vaccine was developed which helped control the epidemic.
8) HIV/AIDS Pandemic (1981 to present)
First observed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the late 1970s, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted disease that is still affecting the world today. An estimate of 36 million people has been a victim of this epidemic. Mostly belonging to Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV AIDS has gained great attention all around the world in the past few years. Researches prove that it is transmitted through body fluids like blood, breast milk, and semen when a normal person comes in contact with an infected one. Today, the constantly emerging new treatments are making an immense effort in trying to contain the spread of the disease.
9) SARS (2003)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was first identified and observed in China in the year 2003. Later, it spread across the globe affecting 26 countries and more than 8000 people and killing around 800 of them. Major symptoms include fever, dry cough, body ache, and headache. Also, the main transmitters were the cough and sneeze droplets. SARS is thought to have been an outcome of coming in contact with bats and cats. Great quarantine efforts proved to be substantial which curbed the widespread of the virus. Learnings from SARS have been implemented in controlling other diseases like Ebola, H1N1, and Zika.
10) COVID-19 (2019)
Being in the middle of a pandemic itself, we know what COVID-19 has done to the world. This disease is believed to be caused by a new and novel coronavirus, which has never been found in people before. It was on 17 November 2019 when China reported its first-ever case in its Hubei province. Since then, cases started to mount rapidly, initially spreading across China and then taking on the whole world. Problems in breathing, cough, and fever are some of the COVID-19 symptoms known to the world until now. Efforts are being made greatly on a daily basis to control the epidemic.
