Looking into World History and Previous Pandemics
What is a Pandemic?
Let’s just go through this from the beginning okay? Now, a pandemic is an infectious disease which has found its way to spread across a region. A pandemic actually differs from an endemic in the fact that the latter is usually under stable circumstances. A lot of people get them mixed up you know. For example, a massive chicken pox outbreak would be an endemic in places like Russia, USA, UK, and other countries who would have medical facilities and care suited for it. Now let’s do some skimming through the past and present.
COVID-19 and where it Ranks in the History of Pandemics
In the world’s history, there have been so many pandemics, more than you could even imagine. So, starting from 1000AD, let us just have a quick look at the top 5 pandemics that have hit harder than the present COVID-19 pandemic and have a view of how tough they were. Do not forget, pandemics of the past have been so many over time, even as early as 900BC. But I am more interested in a list of pandemics that have been more severe and deadlier than the present COVID-19 pandemic since the 11th century and this list will be based on affected population and mortality rates.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Before going through the past, let us take an insight into the statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered Corona virus, many of us would probably know this now. However, if there is one thing we do not know about the corona virus pandemic, it may be that it would go down in history, as the ‘most global’ pandemic in which nearly every country in the world have registered a confirmed case( about 201 countries).
As at 27th July, 2020 an estimate of 16million cases had been confirmed with about 600,000 deaths and nearly 9million recoveries. Well, this also tells of the low mortality rate of the virus. Even though the virus has literally spread across the world, it is not as deadly. So, the disease has no vaccine yet and the pandemic continues globally.
Top 5 Pandemics Deadlier than the COVID-19 since 1000AD
• HIV/AIDS pandemic
• Asian flu pandemic
• Spanish flu pandemic
• Third Bubonic Plague pandemic
• The black death pandemic
HIV/AIDS Pandemic
Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV) which advances to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) had its first case reported in 1981. It would be weird to say HIV/AIDS is still an existing pandemic, but it actually is, even though not as severe as its inception.
HIV/AIDS grew to become a global pandemic from 1981, resulting in an estimated number of 65million cases and 25million deaths; and considering it is a pandemic which have lasted over the years, an approximated 300,000deaths per year can be noted. HIV/AIDS was a very deadly pandemic in its earliest discovery. However in recent times, even if it still remains a global health issue with no cure, HIV/AIDS is being well prevented and patients infected are not in so much risk of death anymore, as treatments that can stable the virus have been developed and effective in this present time.
ASIAN FLU Pandemic
The Asian flu was a pandemic caused by a virus known as Influenza A Virus Subtype H2H2. Okay, you can forget the scientific name stuff. The Asian Flu was actually identified in Guizhou, February 1957, the Asian flu was the second influenza pandemic to occur in the 20th century, that means there was a first!
Anyways, it resulted in an estimated 1 million deaths and about 10 million cases between the space of 12months. Most cases were in Asia, as the name can tell, but outside Asia, cases were majorly noted also in the UK and US. A vaccine was eventually developed for the disease which eased the mortality rate and brought it to its end.
SPANISH FLU Pandemic
Remember I said something about the Asian flu being the second influenza pandemic and all that right? The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was the first. And it was a pandemic that also cut across the globe, affecting at least one country in every continent of the world. One of the deadliest pandemics experienced in recent times and probably the deadliest of the 20th Century. An estimated 500 million people globally were confirmed to be infected with about 50million deaths.
People be complaining about 2020 being a bad year, I wonder what people would have said about 1918, because added to the Spanish flu which lasted for about two years(1918-1920), the first world war was also in occurrence in that time. Crazy right?
THIRD PLAGUE Pandemic
Now, this was one of the three plagues caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Pestis. It is also known as the Bubonic plague and it began in Yunnan, China. As the name indicates, it was the third of the bubonic plagues, with the first occurring between 541-542AD and the second between 1346-1353.
Once again it was noted in Asia, with India being the most affected country. It grew be a global pandemic which is said to have killed about 12million people between 1855-1856.
BLACK DEATH Pandemic
The black pandemic which was the second bubonic plague, the one mentioned earlier of occurring between 1346-1353. It is really considered to be the deadliest pandemic ever in human history and not just in a century. The plague never really ended as it had a ‘final coming’ which was seen in the third plague. The black death pandemic resulted in the death of about 200million people. It was noted to be transferred by black rats and fleas that perch on their bodies. Most likely originating in Asia, the plague travelled to Europe where it killed nearly half of Europe’s population.
Let me give you an extra info about the black death pandemic. It was considered so deadly and traumatic that tales were told at nights about it, poets wrote poems to describe the horror. The popular rhyme “RING A RING OF ROSES, A POCKET FULL OF ROSES" is said to have been written in reference to it. It would have been really creepy though.
The Bottom line
The present COVID-19 pandemic is really a shocker, but I don’t think it has been deadlier than others on this list. I think we should be grateful though; for some certain reasons.
But hey! Did you notice that all the pandemics in this list either originated in China or began somewhere in Asia. Well, that is pretty weird too. Pandemics are never a nice experience, especially when it is global and puts everyone on hold. We could only hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would be the most severe we would experience in the 21st century and nothing worse would come forth.