The struggle between humans and microorganisms is as old as history itself, entire civilizations, as the Maya probably did, were extinguished by these invisible enemies, but the great epidemics of history have also left great lessons, among them this human intelligence is capable of winning extraordinary battles.
Throughout history, several major epidemics have left great pain, but also important knowledge and learning. We are aware of the emergence of at least five pandemics, which differ from epidemics in their magnitude. While the epidemic is only happening locally, the pandemic has global reach.
“Humanity has faced plagues from the beginning, let’s fall and then recover?-Scott Wilson-
Humans have won the five deadliest pandemics thanks to intelligence and its finite product: science. As in the past, today, thousands of people around the world are working every day to regain their health.
The great epidemics of history have had their victims, but also their heroes; his great pains, but also his glorious moments.
Smallpox is, until now, the most violent and deadly evil in history. In addition, it is one of only two diseases that humanity has managed to eradicate completely. As the saying goes: “For great evils, great solutions”; this is what happened to this disease, which killed 300 million people.
In Europe, it devastated entire cities in the 18th century; in the United States, caused a demographic collapse as we marched west; at least 13 million Incas are reportedly killed by this scourge.
Until the twentieth century, almost every year, there was a smallpox epidemic in one part of the world; during this period, smallpox killed at least two million people.
The virus has been successfully defeated through science and cooperation. In the midst of the Cold War, the then Deputy Minister of the Soviet Union, Vktor Zhdov, proposed a global struggle and approved the initiative to provide vaccines to all people around the world.
In 1980, the disease was officially declared eradicated from the world.
Another major epidemic in history occurred in 1918, spanish influenza, which was particularly frightening because it attacked people of all ages, including dogs and cats, and is considered the most devastating epidemic of all that has ever occurred, killing between 20 and 40 million people. people in a single year.
The virus is believed to have first infected a person in March 2018 in Kansas, USA. U. S. , Who came to Europe during World War I thanks to American troops; by that time, the virus had already undergone one or two mutations that made it extremely aggressive and deadly.
This flu, very similar to COVID-19, caused a wave of contagion, the second was the deadliest and, as happened recently, exceeded the capacity of the health system.
In reality, a cure for this disease has never been found, only a few relatively effective treatments. The virus gradually disappeared as the survivors became immune.
Although Ebola has not become a pandemic, it is one of the deadliest viruses in history, with a mortality rate of 41 to 89%. In addition, the disease kills very quickly, so in this case the problem was not so much contagion as lethality.
Ebola has mainly affected countries on the African continent, although it has also reached Spain and the United States. One of the most striking aspects of this disease is the severe symptoms it generates, including bleeding from mucous membranes and puncture regions.
There is currently no treatment or vaccine for this disease, however, several research is moving in this direction. Since 2015, a vaccine has been in the experimental stage; it is estimated to be 100% effective.
Like other diseases caused by viruses, it also comes from contact with animals. Today, especially with the advent of COVID-19, the idea that our relationship with the rest of nature needs to be radically rethrated.