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3000 BCE
Circa (Death toll coun - not stated)
Origin: China. Cause unknown. Though no symptoms are stated," the anthropological study indicates that the epidemic happened quickly enough that there was no time for proper burials" and the Hamin Magha site which was never inhabited again and another mass burial found in Miaozigou (northeastern China) for the same time period. -
430 BCE
Plague of Athens ( 100,000 Dead)
Origins: Greece. Prehistoric typhoid or Ebola? Symptoms: fever, red inflamed eyes", bloody throat and tongue with "fetid breath". -
Period: 430 BCE to
Pendamic Lifespan
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165
Antonine Plague (5M Dead)
Origin: Roman Empire. Believed to be either smallpox or measles. Symptoms: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, thirstiness, swollen throat, and coughing. Killed a Roman Emperor, Lucius Verus, A second wave occurred 9 years later. -
250
Plague of Cyprian (5,000 Dead)
Origin: Rome. The cause is highly speculative, but suspects include smallpox, pandemic influenza, and viral hemorrhagic. Symptoms: relaxed bowels, fermented wounds around the mouth. Mass grave of bodies covered with lime (disinfectant) found in Luxor burned in a giant fire -
542
Plague of Justinian (30-50M Dead / 10% of population)
Origin: Byzantine Empire. Bubonic plague with flu-like symptoms caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria and spread by Rats &, fleas. Emperor Justinian infected but survived. Symptoms: swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle ache. Empire covered the Middle East to Western Europe -
1346
Black Death (200M Dead)
Origin: Asia and Europe. Caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria and spread by Rats &, fleas. With so many dead and cheap labor hard to find leading to technological innovation. A better diet increased the chances of survival. -
1545
Cocoliztli (Pest) epidemic (15M Dead)
Origin: Central America. A type of typhoid causing a hemorrhagic fever causing dehydration and gastrointestinal issues from the Salmonella virus (as per skeleton DNA examination). Areas with drought were hit hard. -
America Plague (15M Dead)
Presently ongoing. Clusters of Eurasian diseases brought to the Americas by European explorers including smallpox. Symptoms: itchy rash across the entire body and mouth. Helped Spanish force conquer the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1519 and the Incas in 1532 -
Great Plague of London (100, 000 Dead)
Origin: UK. Black death round 2. Fleas from plague-infected rodents were one of the main causes of transmission resulting in the mass exodus out of London which resulted in a shortage of firefighters to when the Great fire burned down large portions of the city. -
Great Plague of Marseille (100,000 ~30% of population)
Origin: France. Fleas on rodents aboard a quarantine ship (Grant-Saint-Antoine) from the Mediterranean spread the plague throughout the city. Lasted 3 years. -
Russian Plague (100,000 Dead)
Origin: Russia. Caused by the Bubonic plague from fleas with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium. Quarantined citizens led to violence which killed Archbishop Ambrosius who dissuaded perishers from gathering for worship. Struggling to control chaotic Russia, Catherine II ordered factories out of Moscow. -
Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic (5,000)
Origin: United States. Caused by Flaviviridae and transmitted by Mosquitoes in Hot and humid conditions. In Philadelphia Americans of African origin thought to be immune were recruited as front-line workers (nurses). Symptoms: Fever, headache, muscle aches, sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting -
Flu Pandemic (5,000)
Origin: Russia. Agent for influenza viruses unknown but Human Coronavirus OC43 suspected. The spread throughout the world was accelerated by e-commerce. Symptoms Common cold, severe lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. -
American Polio epidemic (27,000 cases and 6,000 deaths)
Origin: NY, USA. Caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system in children younger than 5 causing paralysis, difficulty breathing, and sometimes death. From the Salk vaccine of 1954 discovery, the sporadic outbreaks ended in 1979. Present in other parts of the world -
Spanish Flu (500M infested, 1M deaths)
Origin: unknown. Caused by the Influenza viruses made worse by cramped living conditions and poor nutrition during World War I. Spread from South Sees to north Pole. Despite the name, the disease likely did not start in Spain -
Asian Flu (1.1 M dead)
Origin: China and spread to Hong Kon and the US. Caused by a blend of Avian Flu viruses spread by birds. Spread to Hong Kong and the USA. -
Aids pendemic and epidemic (35M)
Origin: suspected to be the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Chimpanzees with SIVcpz strain similar to HIV. First case discovered in the 1980s. Only 2 people have been cured but therapeutics are available -
H1N1 Swine Flu pendamic (1.4 billion infected in 1 year, 51,700 deaths)
Origin: Mexico. H1N1 flu strain originating in pigs and primarily younger population with no immunity from prior pandemics. Vaccine available -
West African Ebola epidemic (28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths_
Origin: Guinea. Ebolavirus thought to originate from Bats with no known cure but efforts for vaccine ongoing. Bulk cases in West Africa and small numbers in other parts of the world. -
Zika Virus epidemic (1.4 Binfected, 0.02% dead)
Origin: South and Central America. Ongoing. The Zika virus is usually spread through mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. While Zika is usually not harmful to adults or children, it can attack infants who are still in the womb and cause birth defects. -
COVID-19 (22,24M cases, 805,422 Deaths)
Origin: China. The source is being investigated. Spread through droplets from coughs or sneezes of infected people. The race is on for a vaccine. Symptoms vary widely but common ones include fever/ chills, diarrhea, new fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, etc.
