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From the plague to MERS: A brief history of pandemics - Aljazeera.com
Jun 01, 2020 2 mins, 11 secs

Alia Chughtai | 01 Jun 2020 08:33 GMT | Health, Coronavirus pandemic, Outbreak.

Death Toll: Approximately 30-50 million.

As the political and commercial centre of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) was particularly hard hit. According to ancient historians, the pandemic killed up to 10,000 people a day there, although modern historians say the number may have been closer to 5,000. .

Death Toll: Approximately 75-200 million.

The Black Death ravaged Europe, Africa and Asia, killing anywhere between 75 million and 200 million people - making it the deadliest disease outbreak in recorded history.

It was supposedly named the Black Death because of the black spots that formed on the skin of the infected.

According to some accounts, the first outbreak of the Black Death in Europe took place in Caffa, on the Crimean Peninsula.

Death Toll: At least 1 million.

Cause: Influenza A subtype H3N8.

Considered the last great pandemic of the 19th century, this particular strain of influenza was known as the "Asiatic Flu" or "Russian Flu", likely because it originated in the Central Asian region of the Russian Empire.

The pandemic spread quickly, aided by the existence of modern forms of transport, like railroads, and transatlantic travel by boat.

Death Toll: Approximately 20-100 million.

Cause: Influenza H1N1- Avian origin.

Although the death toll is unknown, many estimates put it at more than 50 million and some as high as 100 million, making it the deadliest pandemic since the Black Death.  .

It is thought that these measures, combined with people developing immunity to it, helped to end the pandemic, although there is also a theory that the virus mutated rapidly into a less lethal strain, resulting in a sharp drop in infections and deaths. .

Death Toll: At least 1.1 million.

Cause: Influenza A - H2N2 subtype.

Studies suggested the pandemic originated from strains of avian and human influenza viruses.

There were two waves of this outbreak, but the spread of the infection slowed following the development of a vaccine in August 1957.

Death Toll: Approximately 1 million.

Cause: Influenza A - H3N2, subtype of H2N2.

The death rate was significantly lower than in previous influenza outbreaks, with a case-fatality ratio below 0.5 percent

It is possible that people who were exposed to the earlier pandemic became immune to this particular virus

Death Toll: 32 million

According to the WHO, which refers to it as a global epidemic rather than a pandemic, in certain regions of Africa, which remain the most affected, one in every 25 people is living with HIV, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global HIV count.  

SARS-CoV spread to at least 26 countries and infected more 8,000 people, although the death toll was considered very low compared to other pandemics

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