Worst pandemics in modern history
The world is going through the extraordinary deadly pandemic COVID-19 generated by coronavirus. This is not the first time that the planet is going through a red alert. But the common element is, whenever such a medical epidemic has arisen it has always taken away millions of lives; crippled the economy.
Here is an overview of such global pandemics
The Great Plague of London
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Originated in London, the plague first made its appearance in 1665. It gained the name "The Great Plague of London" after killing 20% population of London that year. In fact, the death toll was so high mass graves appeared, and thousands of cats and dogs, who were believed to be the cause of the source, were slaughtered.
Surprisingly, it's still around in Western part of the US, Africa and Asia.
The Spanish Flu
The Spanish flu was an influenza pandemic that spread around the world between 1918 and 1919, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of US. The source of the flu was - bird. It is estimated that around 500 million people (or one-third of the world's population) became infected with the virus ultimately causing at least 50 million deaths worldwide.
Hong Kong flu
This was also an influenza pandemic that originated in East Asia. It was first detected in Singapore in 1957, then it was named the Asian Flu. But by the time it ended in 1968, it had killed 1 million people worldwide, reported Fox News.
Swine flu
The swine flu began in 2009 with an influenza virus known as H1N1. The virus was first detected in the U.S. and spread quickly. Around 61 million cases were reported between April 2009 and April 2010, according to the CDC.Worldwide more than 575,000 people died from the illness.
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was first discovered in the early 1980s. At first, it was first assumed to be a disease of gay people as it was first detected in a gay community. According to data, it has reached into the pandemic criteria with 65 million infections and 25 million deaths worldwide.
