Which Have Been The Most Deadly Epidemics In The Past And The Present?

Diseases and their fatal effects are not unknown to the world. However, all the diseases are not fatal; as and when the severity increases, the symptoms and associated complications can result in death. Infectious diseases that spread from person to person have occurred throughout our history. The agents or pathogens causing such diseases transmit from one person to another via various mediums like saliva, blood, or mainly through the transmission of infected bodily fluid.

This Story also Contains

1. How Infectious Diseases Cause Deadly Epidemics
2. Deadly Epidemics In The Past
3. Epidemic Or Pandemic of The Present
4. Are Epidemics and Pandemics Being Handled Better Now?

The spread of infectious diseases can result in pandemics and epidemics. The world has been impacted by deadly diseases in the past, like cholera, plague, flu, and more. We all are aware of how recently the whole world dealt with the coronavirus pandemic. When deadly infectious diseases are limited to a certain geographical region, it is an epidemic, but if they cross international boundaries, it becomes a pandemic.

How Infectious Diseases Cause Deadly Epidemics

Human interaction is inevitable, but it is the main cause of the transmission of some infectious diseases. The transmission of infected particles from the patient can reach other people via air, water, and touch. The infection can also spread from animal to person or through other environmental media. These can worsen the condition, and hence an epidemic becomes deadly.

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Deadly Epidemics In The Past

The risk factors in the past concerning epidemics were many. Poor health facilities, a lack of awareness and education, unhygienic conditions, crowded areas, and more worsened the situation and led to less control over epidemic prevention and treatment.

Some Terrible Epidemics Of The Past

• The smallpox epidemic that occurred in 430 B.C. killed almost 30,000 people and was transmitted through skin-to-skin and bodily fluid contact. The infectious agent of this disease was the variola virus.

• The plague has been one of the deadliest diseases in history. It hit different regions at different times for different time intervals and always resulted in the deaths of millions of people. The one in 541 AD killed 50 million people in around 200 years. The Great Plague of London killed almost 25 million people in Europe alone. The Modern Plague killed 12 million people.

• Flu was another epidemic among Americans; 675,000 people were killed in a year. This became a pandemic and killed approximately 45 million people worldwide in 1918–1919.

• SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, was another epidemic in China that killed 774 people and reported 8,000 cases.

• Tuberculosis, typhoid, and measles are a few other contagious diseases that have killed millions of people worldwide.

• Ebola and Zika’s viruses also created a public emergency as they were spreading explosively. These outbreaks killed hundreds of people, but they were not as deadly as the previous epidemics. The Ebola epidemic affected West Africa in 2014, while Zika impacted Americans in 2016.

Epidemic Or Pandemic of The Present

The most recent outbreak of infectious diseases that generated an emergency across the globe was the coronavirus, or COVID-19, caused by the transmission of SARS-Cov-2. It was first reported in Wuhan, China, and due to the large population, it spread worldwide like fire. The virus reservoirs were identified as bats, but the transmission of the virus from animals to humans is still not definitely identified.

The disease caused mild symptoms like a cold, cough, shortness of breath, and fever that progressed into life-threatening conditions in a short span of time. It is estimated that approximately 6 million people lost their lives due to coronaviruses. Inhaling or touching the infected respiratory droplets of the infected person was the main mode of transmission. With eight billion people across the world, it was difficult to halt human interaction and transmission of the virus in a short time.

Are Epidemics and Pandemics Being Handled Better Now?

At present, a larger population is aware of and educated about health and diseases. They understand the transmission process of contagious agents and also have access to modern medical facilities. Researchers, scientists, and doctors have advanced knowledge that at least helps prevent diseases if complete treatment is not available.

COVID-19 was dealt with in a better way as compared to past epidemics and pandemics because the healthcare workers were quick to spread the information and benefit about sanitation, lesser human interaction, staying indoors, home remedies, and more. People also quickly adapted to the digital world to support their finances and remain updated with the news.

Due to the knowledge about viruses, their life cycle, and common symptoms, not exact but similar drugs were discovered. Hospitals across the countries were also modified as per COVID's needs due to quick communication among the healthcare workers. The authorities escalated the emergency, and people were quarantined to lessen human interaction as much as possible.

However, pandemics and epidemics are increasing in frequency due to more infectious agents emerging from animals. The spread risk is higher as the population is larger now and human interactions have risen dramatically, thus leading to more outbreaks.

Increased global leadership, coordination, sound financial footing, filling the gaps in the health sector, improving medical facilities in the lagging regions, pre-preparedness, and more such steps can help to prevent epidemics and pandemics.

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