CHE 220 Deadly diseases throughout history - Communicable disease
One of the worst illnesses in recorded human history, smallpox dates back to 430 BC in Athens,
Greece. This illness, which is brought on by the variola virus, killed about 30 000 individuals
during this time, which resulted in a 20% decline in the country's population. There were
outbreaks of smallpox in 1519 and 1633, respectively. When Hernando Cortes arrived in 1519,
there were around 25 million people living in what is now known as Mexico, according to CNN's
report on fatal illnesses. Between 5 and 8 million of the local people perished in the next two
years due to a smallpox pandemic.
Less than 2 million people will survive this and other infectious illnesses introduced by European
explorers during the following century. Then in 1633, it spread among the native Americans,
though it is unknown how many perished. Others estimate that the pandemic claimed the lives of
around 20 million people. Sneezing, coughing, and droplets of bodily fluid from an infected
person that contaminate objects they use can also transmit the virus when they come into touch
with a susceptible person. Direct face-to-face contact with an infected person was the primary
means of viral dissemination.
Infectious diseases were eliminated by vaccination; vaccinia, a vaccine made from a poxvirus
related to smallpox, was administered to prevent exposure to the measles virus.
References
Deadly diseases: Epidemics throughout history. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/10/health/epidemics-through-history/
Transmission. (2016, June 07). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from
https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/transmission/index.html
The Spread and Eradication of Smallpox. (2016, August 30). Retrieved September 11, 2020,
from https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/smallpox-origin.html
