Infected: The Worst Disease Outbreaks in History
With the death toll from an Ebola outbreak in West Africa rising, many in the U.S. are worried about the possibility of a pandemic here. While the possibility of that is extremely remote, it brings to mind outbreaks and pandemics of the past. Let’s take a look at a few, both in the U.S. and abroad.
U.S. Outbreaks
Smallpox
When: 1633-1634
Where: New England
Those affected: Estimated 70% population plummet
Did you know? The last case of smallpox in the U.S. was in 1949.
Yellow fever
When: 1793
Where: Philadelphia
Those affected: Estimated 2,000 deaths before the winter
Did you know? Mosquitoes helped spread the disease.
Cholera
When: 1830-1851
Where: All across U.S. and worldwide
Those affected: Estimated 150,000 deaths (in U.S. alone)
Did you know? Today, cholera still affects between 3 million and 5 million people each year worldwide.
Spanish flu
When: 1918
Where: All across U.S. and worldwide
Those affected: 675,000 deaths (in U.S. alone)
Did you know? “Spanish flu” is a misnomer, as the country was not the original source of the disease.
Polio
When: 1952
Where: All across U.S.
Those affected: In this year alone, 58,000 cases were reported including 3,145 deaths.
Did you know? The last case of polio in the U.S. was in 1979 because of effective vaccines.
Asian flu
When: 1957
Where: All across U.S.
Those affected: 70,000 deaths
Did you know? An effective vaccine was quickly created in the winter of 1957.
Cryptosporidium
When: 1993
Where: Milwaukee
Those affected: 403,000 ill and 100 deaths
Did you know? The disease started when one of the city’s two water treatment plants became contaminated.
Whooping cough
When: 2010
Where: California
Those affected: 9,477 ill, 10 deaths
Did you know? Also known as pertussis, the disease is one of the most commonly occurring in the U.S.
Worldwide Outbreaks
Malaria
When: Outbreaks range from 2,000 B.C.E. to today
Where: Worldwide, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa
Those affected: 350 million to 500 million cases diagnosed each year
Did you know? During the first two World Wars, Malaria killed more than 100,000 American soldiers alone.
The Bubonic Plague, aka “The Black Death”
When: 1347-1351
Where: Europe
Those affected: Estimated between 75 million and 200 million deaths
Did you know? It is believed that half of the European population died in a span of four years.
Typhus fever
When: 1600s
Where: Europe
Those affected: 10 million deaths
Did you know? During World War I, the disease spread again throughout Russia, Poland and Romania.
Tuberculosis
When: 1918
Where: France
Those affected: One in six deaths were caused by TB
Did you know? Today, 8 million people each year are diagnosed with TB, with 2 million deaths.
HIV/AIDS
When: 1960s-present
Where: Worldwide, most cases in Africa
Those affected: By 2011, 60 million cases and 25 million deaths
Did you know? In 2012, about 35.3 million people were believed to have HIV.
Ebola
When: 2014
Where: West Africa
Those affected: As of late October, there had been nearly 5,000 deaths
Did you know? Several cases have been confirmed in the U.S., with one death.
Sources:
1. http://www.healthline.com
2. http://cdc.gov
3. http://www.rwjf.org
4. http://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com
