Top 5 Worst Pandemics And Epidemics in The History of The World

Top 5 Worst Pandemics And Epidemics in The History of The World
Worst pandemics and epidemics in the history of the world
Top 5 Worst Pandemics And Epidemics in The History of The World
Worst pandemics and epidemics in the history of the world

The first case of novel coronavirus was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan. Gradually, the capital city of Hubei became the epicentre of COVID-19. Currently, most of the countries are under the grip of the deadly virus which has already killed more than 1,40,000 people worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and it alerted all the countries to take immediate action and reduce its global spread.

What is even more fearsome is the fact that COVID-19 doesn’t have a vaccine to date. Scientists and experts are busy in research to bring out the vaccine to contain the novel coronavirus. But they haven’t succeeded yet. Precautionary measures such as staying at home, maintaining social distance, the closing of all the educational institutions, along with public and worship places, have been observed. But essential services continue to be operational. The primary objective before the world is how to save the human race from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The death and infection rates in countries like the US and several European countries are rising. Given the nature of the virus and the second wave of infection emerging from China, it is difficult to predict the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. History speaks that the world has seen several deadly pandemics. After coronavirus pandemic,

Here is the outcome of some four other famous pandemics that the world has seen:

1. Flu Pandemic (1918)

After the end of World War-I, the 1918 to 1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, was considered the most severe pandemic worldwide in recent history. It was a viral flu caused by the H1N1 virus. But there was no conclusion regarding the origin of the virus. This deadly virus penetrated across the globe and is believed to have infected more than 500 million people (one-third of the world’s population).

It is believed that at least 50 million people in the world died during this pandemic. In the United States alone, the casualty rate was 675,000, which was alarming. The unique feature of this pandemic was the high mortality rate of healthy people of the age group of 20-40 years.

2. Asian Flu (1956-1958)

Asian flu was a pandemic outbreak of influenza A (H2N2) virus that originated from avian influenza. The virus was first reported in Singapore in 1957 then it spread in Hong Kong and some coastal cities of the US. It was estimated that approximately 1 to 2 million people lost their lives. In this pandemic, once again, the US was on the receiving end with the maximum deaths.

3. The Great Plague 1665-1666

This plague was considered the worst outbreak on the English soil. It was estimated that roughly 15 per cent of the population of London died and this translated into 68,596 deaths. The first case was reported in 1665 in a parish outside the city walls called St Giles-in-the-Fields. But the death rate started rising during the summer season and peaked in September when 7,165 people of London city passed away in a week. Rats that carried the fleas were the reason for that plague.

4. Cholera pandemics (1817-23)

The first cholera pandemic in India started at Jessore in 1817. Currently, this place is midway between Kolkata and Dhaka. But the Cholera didn’t stay in India. This lethal cholera spread in other countries such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and by 1820, many people died.

The second cholera pandemic spread its feet in 1829 in Europe and America. Gradually, the disease reached Moscow in 1830 and then reached Mexico and Cuba as well. Cholera spread in the US as well where 5,000 residents of Louisiana died.

The third cholera pandemic was the most lethal one, and it erupted in 1852 in India and spread to Iran, European nations and the US and other countries of Africa. It was estimated that 23,000 people lost their lives in Great Britain alone.

The fourth and fifth cholera pandemic was less severe. Gradually, human beings invented cholera vaccines to overcome this deadly pandemic. History proves that several pandemics had occurred on this planet and proved a disaster for human beings.

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