Even in the earliest of days, humanity has had to deal with various diseases and illnesses, including pandemics. In December 2019, Wuhan, a Chinese city reported a fresh case of the unknown virus. Unsurprisingly, the world moved on as usual without paying much attention to this disease. However, on March 11, 2020, the world health organization declared the virus, SARS-COV-2 (popularly known as) the novel coronavirus or covid-19 as a pandemic. As at June 2020, close to two hundred countries in the world had confirmed cases with about 6.66million of the world’s population testing positive with a death toll of about 400,000.

The first pandemic in history is said to have began in the city of Pelsium, near modern-day Port Said, in northeastern Egypt, in the year 541. This disease was referred to as ‘pestilence’. The historian named Procopious, alive at the time described the course of the disease as starting with a mild symptom which eventually led to life-threatening ones, he stated that the earliest symptom was so mild and did not raise any suspicion of danger. The carers were said to be in a steady state of exhaustion and the chances of survival of the sick was unknown. Without any doubt, these are very similar to the present happenings caused by the new coronavirus. It is worthy of mention that the spread of the virus was heavily aided by the modern transport system which enables people to travel from one region to the other and the virus’s long incubation period of about 2-14days. Below is a brief overview of some of the pandemics recorded in history.

Between 165-180A. D, the antonine plague struck Rome, with the cause unknown, over 2,000 individuals lost their lives daily leaving the death toll at about 5million. Many historians have attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to the antonine plague; in fact, a scholar mentioned that ‘the ancient world never recovered from the blow inflicted upon it by the plague.’ However, a physician named Galen recorded symptoms of diseases which identified the cause as smallpox and measles.

The plague of Justinian, caused by the Bubonic plague, attacked around 541-549, the plague spread to humans by rodents harboring fleas that housed the bacterium called Yersinia pestis. The pandemic, according to history, killed about 10,000 people a day. The political and commercial centre of Byzantine Empire known as Constantinople was most affected by the pandemic. Certain quarters believed that the plague “returned” every 12 years or thereabout until around 750; it killed about 100million people, which was approximately half of Europe’s population.

The black death pandemic attacked Europe, Africa and Asia between 1347and 1352. History has it that the first outbreak of the plague in Europe was in Caffa, on the Crimean peninsula. Like the Justinian plague transmission to humans from rats housing the bacterium- Yersinia pestis, the ships carrying the rats facilitated the spread of the disease between continents. The black death plague identified as the deadliest plague in history as it took about 75-200million lives. The name black death came about because of the black spots formed on the skins of the infected individuals.

The flu pandemic, caused by Influenza A subtype H3N8 which struck around 1889-1890 believed to be last great pandemic of the 19th century, claimed about 1million lives. The presence of contemporary forms of transportation including the railroads and transatlantic travel by boat aided the rapid spread of the disease.

The cholera pandemics hit around 1817, transmitted through contaminated water, recorded a death toll of about 1million. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has battled with humanity since 1981 and is still being nurtured till date. The virus has taken about 32million lives. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, also known as SARS, hit between 2002 and 2003 with a death toll of 774. In 2012, Scientists discovered another disease called the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome with a death toll of 858.

Other pandemics in history include the Asian flu (1957-1958, 1.1million deaths), the new world smallpox outbreak (1520-onwards, 56million deaths), Great plague of London (1665, 100,000 deaths), Italian plague (1629-1631, 1million deaths), yellow fever (late 1800s, 100,000-150,000 deaths in the United States), Russian flu (1889-1890, 1million deaths), Spanish flu (1918-1919, 40-50deaths), Hong Kong flu (1968-1970, 1million deaths).

Over the years, researchers, public health experts and other national and international organization have gained more knowledge and understanding of diseases through improved technology, to produce various vaccines to combat and eradicate these diseases. Although, vaccines for diseases such as HIV/AIDS are till under investigation. The act of quarantine has gained its ground since the time of the early pandemics and it enables a reduction in the spread of diseases. We know that contact with respiratory droplets of infected individuals and contaminated surfaces readily spreads the unknown virus. The virus primarily attacks the respiratory system and produces respiratory symptoms such as dry cough; it also associates with fever and tiredness. The virus is being curtailed by restricting people’s movement to reduce the spread; in fact, many countries in the world are on lockdown.

Besides this, precautions such as regular hand hygiene, wearing facemasks when going out, refraining from touching eyes, nose and mouth with hands, covering nose and mouth with elbows or tissue (and dispose immediately) when sneezing or coughing, maintaining a social distance of at 1 to 2 meters from the next person and contacting the right authorities when sick, are encouraged. The whole of humanity is hoping for the best as professionals work on producing a vaccine and possibly a cure.

 

REFERENCES

• Alia C. (June, 2020). From the plague to MERS: A brief history of pandemics. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2020/05/plague-mers-history-pandemics 200520124051021.hmtl

• Nicholas L. (March, 2020). Visualizing the History of Pandemics. Retrieved from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/

• Michael S.R. (April, 2020). History’s deadliest pandemics, from ancient Rome to modern America. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/local/retropolis/coronavirus-deadliest-pandemics/

• Elizabeth K. (March, 2020). Pandemics and the shape of human history. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/06/pandemics-and-the-shape-of-human-history/amp

• Rebecca S.B.F. (March, 2020). What’s the difference between pandemic, epidemic and outbreak? Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/life/2020/03/12/whats-the-difference-between-pandemic-epidemic-and-outbreak.hmtl

• Lydia D. (June, 2020). How the COVID-19 Pandemic Could End. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-could-end1/