Top 10 Worst Epidemics in Human History!

Loss of lives is probably the most difficult thing to deal with. And when this happens on a grand scale, it is one of the darkest times in history. But while many of these events were caused by wars, the epidemic is also responsible for the removal of many people from this world.

10. Black Death

Probably one of the worst diseases ever to plague mankind the Black Death cast its shadow over all of Eurasia from the year 1346 to 1353. An estimated 75 million to 200 million people in the region lost their lives due to the disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The disease is believed to have originated in the dry plains of central Asia and traveled along the silk road to reach Crimea in 1343. And from there, it was carried by the fleas borne by the black rat to other parts of Europe and Asia on the merchant ships. The disease was identified in its victims by the occurrence of tumors in grinin and skin fibers and then spread to other parts of the body in the form of dark spots. This was followed by a severe decline and vomiting and most of the victims had died within two to seven days of the infection. One of the side effects of the disease was that many considered Jews, Friars, immigrants, beggars, and travelers as the cause of it because they were persecuted by the higher class. But none of it was worth it because there was no known cause or cure for the disease at the time. Such was the impact of the plague that nearly cut Europe's population by half. Seeing doctors wearing ankle overcoats with bird-like masks and a wide-brimmed hat was troubling to Europeans and Asia as it meant the disease was not far from them. Fortunately, recent medical developments have made it easier for the disease to be detected early and can be cured now.

 9.Justinian's plague

The times of 542 AD in the Byzantine Empire were one of the worst. People were afraid to wake up every day because there was no way to know if they would live to see another day. The reason was Yersinia Pestis, a germ that suffers from bubonic plague. Worse, it wasn't the end of the outbreak. The outbreak of the period up to the 8th century was one of the reasons for the changing power of places in Europe. An epidemic is believed to have begun to enter the city of Constantinople with infected rats on grain ships from Egypt. And while it is unknown how many people lost their lives as a result of the disease, it is estimated that about 5000 people die daily in the city of Constantinople alone! It was one of the worst disasters ever experienced by the people of the Byzantine Empire, and to this day, people shudder at the thought of Justin's disease.

8. Typhus

As if the war itself is not enough to cause great loss of human lives, the epidemic of tuberculosis has also resulted in the addition of post-war victims. It is spread through human lice and is caused by the organism Rickettsia prowazekii. Symptoms of infection include headache, fever, constipation, cough, muscle pain and death. The disease is spread when lice feed on an infected person and when these leopards leak to another person, the infection spreads. Typhus usually kills lice but remains active for several weeks. There were many cases where typhus killed many people and one of the most alarming was the Spanish and Moorish Granada siege in 1489 when more than 17,000 soldiers died as a result and Canada where more than 20,000 died in 1847. But perhaps the worst was during World War I when nearly three million people were killed in Russia alone. Fortunately, the vaccine was introduced during World War II and that has reduced the number of typhus cases.

7. The Russian Plague Epidemic

The bubonic plague is probably one of the worst things you can hear and the disease was caused by a major crisis in central Russia between 1970 and 1972. The first signs of the disease were discovered in January 1770 in Moldova when it was decided by military prisoners. When the prison doctors learned of the outbreak, they ordered the immediate arrest of an individual. However, while these solitary settlements were sufficient during peacetime, the war caused all the attention to be transferred across borders. And, of course, the plague spread throughout Russia. By September 1971, the disease had worsened and killed more than 20,000 people that month. Soon people began to protest against the involvement of the government-issued disease and led to a deadly crisis. It was a really bad time for the people and the Russian Pisode is one of the worst cases of the disease that means killing innocent people.

6. 1918 Flu Pandemic

The word flu does not really overcome the fear, does it? But think of the more than 500 million victims worldwide! In 1918, the deadly flu virus swept the world and was the first virus to spread influenza 2 H1N1 viruses in the world. It killed about 50 million to 100 million people in the world and reduced the life expectancy of about 12 years in the US. The epidemic is believed to have started in a military outpost and hospitals in France where doctors have reported the onset of a new disease with high mortality, which was later adopted as Spanish Flu. And worse, the virus was airborne, meaning that anyone with the virus could spread it to others just by coughing. And the massive movement of the army during the First World War saw the virus spread to almost every corner of the globe. The flu was so bad that it infected almost one-third of the world and with a large death toll of 10%, basically killed about 3% of the time.

5. 1916 Polio Epidemic

Thanks to a vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in the 1950s, polio is not a high-risk today. But in 1916, it destroyed many families in the US. The epidemic was being held in New York where the first case was found in Brooklyn. It has caused significant panic in more than 9000 cases in New York alone. In total, approximately 7200 people lost their lives in the US due to Polio. There is no cure for Polio even today and it has been the drive for mass vaccination that began in 1988 that saw it virtually eliminated. In 1916, mass hysteria saw many cities shut down and people were afraid to evict children. In fact, more than 80,000 pets were also aborted when people mistakenly believed that animals could spread the virus. Thankfully, polio is on its way to becoming history but its victims will never forget the fear!

4. Memphis Yellow Fever

In the 1800s, Memphis was almost a city dance with very poor hygiene conditions. It was an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and later, yellow fever. In the 1828 pandemic, more than 650 people were affected and considering that the population was less than 1000 at the time, you can understand its impact. But the worst pandemic of yellow fever in Memphis occurred in 1878 when more than 17,000 cases were reported when the population was 47,000! The yellow fever came from Africa and landed on slave ships in the US. Memphis was an ideal place to spread and caused great destruction and tourism from Memphis. Although there were some exceptions. As a result of the flu, only 7 police officers were ready to work in Memphis and as a result, resulted in black men being recruited to the police for the first time in Memphis.

3. The First Cholera Pandemic

Imagine a pandemic beginning in India and spreading to almost all of Asia. The first cholera epidemic of 1817-1824 was a major disaster that affected almost every country in Asia. It is believed that the epidemic started in the Ganges River near Calcutta and spread far and wide due to Kumbh Mela where thousands gathered. Soon, the disease spread to Bombay, another coast of India and from there to other parts of Asia and the first victims were found in Siam. Thankfully, the outbreak of the disease stopped in 1824 probably because of the cold winter that killed germs in the water. There are no official estimates of the number of deaths due to Cholera, but at least 30,000 are infected in Bangkok alone.

2. HIV

This is a plague that still affects us. There is no cure so far and although it is somehow managed, it is one of the worst news that a doctor's visit can bring. The disease was first reported in 1981 when an increasing number of homosexual men became infected with minor illnesses. Since 2001, more than 60 million people in the world have been infected with the virus and since the virus causes your immune system to shut down, the mortality rate is much higher. The estimate says that more than 25 million people have met their needs due to AIDS. The disease may have originated in Africa, but today it affects people all over the world and spreads widely through sexual contact. Let's hope a cure or vaccine comes up!

1. Antonine plague

During the Roman reign of Marcus Antonine, the illness spread widely, killing about 25% of those infected. Nearly 5 million people died in total from illnesses possibly brought to Rome by soldiers returning from campaigns in the Far East. While no one so far can say what caused the illness, it is believed to be beetles or measles. It is probably because of this that many turns to lies and mouths to keep themselves safe from it. One of the consequences of the epidemic was that Marcus Antonine concentrated on the building of temples and buildings dedicated to the Roman gods and, though that failed to track its progress, many people began to convert to Christianity and that was probably the reason why Christianity spread so quickly to the empire at that time.

If you think we've missed out on any major pandemic that threatens people's lives, let us know in the comments.