Top 5 Pandemics in History
Brief on Novel Covid-19 Coronavirus
It began appearing in human beings in December 2019, in the region of Wuhan, China. Covid-19 stands for “Coronavirus disease of 2019” and is seen to be a highly contagious disease. With no vaccine available at the moment, the immunity to Covid-19 is still not known to humans. Within a very short time, this epidemic took shoot from China to a worldwide epidemic scenario and WHO declared Covid-19 as Pandemic in March 2020. By the end of March 2020, almost 0.7 million people are infected with nearly 35.000 deaths. The infection rate is still spiking at a very high speed in some countries like Italy, US, Germany and Spain, while most of the nations have declared a nation-wide emergency situation leading to complete lock-downs.
A huge sum of money is being invested to formalize a vaccine which could push the human race to survive this pandemic.
The total outcome of this pandemic is very difficult to predict at this point in time, but we can at least get an overview of some recent pandemics in history to determine out best courses.
- HIV/AIDS Pandemic (2005-2012)
Death Toll: 36 million
Cause: HIV/AIDS
First identified in Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976, HIV/AIDS has truly proven itself as a global pandemic, killing more than 36 million people since 1981. As awareness has grown, new treatments have been developed that make HIV far more manageable, and many of those infected go on to lead productive lives. Between 2005 and 2012 the annual global deaths from HIV/AIDS dropped from 2.2 million to 1.6 million.
- Flu Pandemic (1968)
Death Toll: 1 million
Cause: Influenza
A category 2 Flu pandemic sometimes referred to as “the Hong Kong Flu”. From the first reported case on July 13, 1968 in Hong Kong, it took only 17 days before outbreaks of the virus were reported in Singapore and Vietnam, and within three months had spread to The Philippines, India, Australia, Europe, and the United States. While the 1968 pandemic had a comparatively low mortality rate (0.5%) it still resulted in the deaths of more than a million people, including 500,000 residents of Hong Kong, approximately 15% of its population at the time.
- Asian Flu (1956-1958)
Death Toll: 2 million
Cause: Influenza
Asian Flu originated in China in 1956 and lasted until 1958. In its two-year spree, Asian Flu traveled from the Chinese province of Guizhou to Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States. Estimates for the death toll of the Asian Flu vary depending on the source, but the World Health Organization places the final tally at approximately 2 million deaths, 69,800 of those in the US alone.
- FLU PANDEMIC (1918)
Death Toll: 20 -50 million
Cause: Influenza
Between 1918 and 1920 a disturbingly deadly outbreak of influenza tore across the globe, infecting over a third of the world’s population and ending the lives of 20 – 50 million people. Of the 500 million people infected in the 1918 pandemic, the mortality rate was estimated at 10% to 20%, with up to 25 million deaths in the first 25 weeks alone.
- SIXTH CHOLERA PANDEMIC (1910-1911)
Death Toll: 800,000+
Cause: Cholera
Sixth Cholera Pandemic originated in India where it killed over 800,000, before spreading to the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia. The Sixth Cholera Pandemic was also the source of the last American outbreak of Cholera (1910–1911).
Prevention
The spread of these Pandemics more or less link to how hygienic we are in our lifestyles. Till now the only way to prevent pandemics like Coronavirus (Covid-19) has been to make hygiene the first priority in life.
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Sanitizing the environment are you is an excellent way to keep your surroundings from any virus or bacteria present in the air. The virus is capable of travelling in the air in the form of droplets, so a product like Air Sanitizer could make sure you and your children are safe at home from any viruses.
Moreover, if you are a frequent traveler, a disinfecting robot, is a perfect companion to disinfect your hotel sheets and other surfaces before usage.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately. It is always recommended to wear KN95 masks in case you live in the high-risk areas or ordinary disposable masks if you live in a low-risk zone.
