From the Black Death to the Corona Virus .. 10 epidemics that changed the course of human history

The new Corona virus outbreak has revealed weaknesses in the global response to virus outbreaks, with increased HIV infections, along with deaths.

Throughout human history, epidemics have affected civilizations since the first known outbreak in 430 BC during the Peloponnesian War (between the allies of Athens and the allies of Sparta). Many of these epidemics have had major repercussions on human society, from killing large proportions of the world's population, to making people think about bigger questions about life and existence.

Justinian Plague (541--750 A.D.)
In his report, published by the American "Business Insider" website, the writer Rider Kimball said that the outbreak of bubonic plague ended the period of reign of the Byzantine emperor in the sixth century Justinian I. The epidemic, now known as the "plague of Justinianma", killed between 30 and 50 million people, or perhaps half of the world's population at the time.

According to traditional sources, the spread of this epidemic contributed to the cessation of commercial activities and the weakening of the empire, which allowed other civilizations to recover Byzantine lands in the Middle East and North Africa and parts of Asia.

The Black Death (1347 - 1351 CE)
The author stated that between 1347 and 1351, bubonic plague spread throughout Europe, killing about 25 million people. It took more than 200 years for population levels in Europe to return to their pre-1347 level. This pandemic may have claimed more lives in Asia, especially China, where it is believed to be the epidemic's home.

Among the other ramifications of this epidemic, later known as the "Black Death", was the beginning of the decline of serfdom (peasants in feudal lords) where so many people died that the survivors ’standard of living rose. In fact, this has contributed to creating more job opportunities, growing social mobility and stopping wars for a short period.

Smallpox (15th and 17th centuries)
The author pointed out that the Europeans brought a number of new diseases when they first arrived on the continents of the Americas in 1492. One of these diseases was smallpox, an infectious disease that killed about 30% of the infected.

During this period, smallpox killed nearly 20 million people, or about 90% of the population in the Americas. This epidemic helped Europeans colonize and develop the evacuated areas, and change the history of the two continents.

Cholera (1817 - 1823)
The author pointed out that the cholera epidemic appeared in "Jessore" in India, and spread to most of the region and then to the neighboring regions, and claimed millions of lives before a British doctor named John Snow could know some information about ways to limit its spread.

The World Health Organization has described cholera - which annually affects between 1.3 and 4 million people - as a "forgotten epidemic." The organization said that the seventh outbreak, which started in 1961, continues to this day.

And since cholera infection is caused by eating food or water contaminated with certain germs, this disease has been able to damage an overwhelming majority in countries that suffer from an unfair distribution of wealth and lack social development. Cholera continues to change the world by damaging poor areas, while it does not significantly affect rich countries.

Spanish flu (1918 - 1919)
The Spanish flu, also known as the "flu pandemic", broke out in 1918, infected nearly 500 million people, and killed more than 50 million globally.

During the outbreak, the First World War was nearing its end, and public health authorities did not have sufficient means to deal with viral epidemics, which greatly contributed to its impact on societies. In the following years, research contributed to understanding how the epidemic spread and how to prevent it, which helped reduce the impact of an influenza-like virus outbreak afterward.

Hong Kong Flu (1968 - 1970)
The author stated that 50 years after the outbreak of the Spanish flu, another influenza virus has spread around the world.

It is estimated that the number of global deaths caused by this virus reached about one million people, one tenth of them in the United States.

In 1968, this pandemic was the third influenza pandemic to occur in the 20th century, after the Spanish flu (in 1918) and the Asian flu that spread in 1957. The virus responsible for Asian flu is believed to have evolved and reappeared after 10 years.

Although the Hong Kong flu virus was not as deadly as the Spanish flu in 1918, it was exceptionally contagious, with 500,000 people infected within two weeks of reporting the first case in Hong Kong. Overall, the epidemic helped the global health community understand the vital role of vaccination operations in preventing future outbreaks of the disease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (2002-2003)
The author explained that severe acute respiratory syndrome is a disease caused by one of the seven corona viruses that can infect humans, and its genotype is almost 90% similar to that of the new corona virus.

In 2003, the outbreak in the Chinese province of Guangdong became a global epidemic that quickly spread to 26 countries, affecting more than 8,000 people and killing 774 of them.

However, the consequences of the 2003 acute respiratory syndrome outbreak were largely limited due to the extensive public health response by global authorities, including the isolation of affected areas and infected individuals.

Swine flu (2009-2010)
The author stated that a new type of influenza virus appeared in 2009, when it infected more than 60 million people in the United States, and the global death toll ranged between 151 and 575,000. This virus is called "swine flu" because it appears to have passed from pigs to humans, and differs from regular influenza in that 80% of HIV-related deaths included people under the age of 65, unlike regular flu deaths.

Ebola (2014 - 2016)
Initially, the Ebola virus - named after a river close to the area where the disease spread - was limited in scope with most modern epidemics, but it was incredibly deadly. The virus first appeared in a small village in Guinea in 2014, and spread to a small number of neighboring countries in West Africa.

The virus has killed more than 11,000 people out of 29.6,000 infected in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is estimated that the Ebola virus cost $ 4.3 billion, and the investment in the three countries has decreased significantly.

It is estimated that the Coronavirus will spread widely throughout the world, and may eventually affect between 40 and 70% of the world's population. A study conducted by the Australian National University also indicates that the new Corona virus will kill millions of people, and will cost global gross domestic product $ 2.4 trillion.