Top 13 Most Terrifying Pandemics in Human History

The novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a new respiratory virus strain that has emerged in humans, causing the ongoing outbreak in Wuhan, China, and spreading to other countries such as Vietnam, Japan...

The origin of the 2019-nCoV is still unclear. Genetic sequence analysis shows a 96.3% similarity to a coronavirus found in bats, suggesting a possible mutation and transmission to humans. Health authorities have confirmed that 2019-nCoV is capable of human-to-human transmission.

As of 05/02/2020, there have been 24,536 confirmed cases and 492 deaths worldwide. Currently, there is no specific treatment for this virus. Therefore, everyone should collaborate to combat the outbreak by following health recommendations such as limiting contact in crowded places, wearing masks, practicing regular handwashing...

Over 35 years ago, American doctors encountered a terrifying and mysterious virus named HIV, the culprit stealing the lives of young, vibrant individuals by undermining their once-healthy immune systems. According to scientific research, HIV may have originated from the SIV virus causing immune system depletion in monkeys and tailless apes in West Central Africa. The virus jumped to humans through various means, including the consumption of bushmeat, a common practice among African communities.

As a result, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has claimed over 35 million lives and disrupted the happiness of countless families. Currently, approximately 34 million people worldwide live with HIV/AIDS; around 1.4 million pregnant women are HIV-positive; over 960 infants are born HIV-positive every day; the region with the highest HIV infection rate is Africa,…

These staggering figures bear witness to the horrific nature and rapid spread of this disease. Countries are now intensifying efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS, leading to a 25% reduction in deaths caused by this disease in recent years.

Smallpox is caused by two types of viruses: Variola major and Variola minor (with Variola major being more deadly), and it is an infectious disease that exclusively affects humans. The smallpox viruses cause disease in the small blood vessels beneath the skin, in the mouth, and in the throat.

Smallpox is one of the most dangerous pandemics humanity has ever faced, with a mortality rate of up to 30%. The disease can also spread through inhaling airborne viruses released from the throat, nasal passages, and pharyngeal mucosa of infected individuals. In 1796, the smallpox vaccine was developed to control the spread, but the disease occasionally resurfaces.

Bubonic Plague, caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, was once one of the largest and most terrifying pandemics in the world, with a very high mortality rate and the potential for dangerous transmission. Yersinia pestis is an extremely toxic rod-shaped bacterium that incapacitates the host's immune system by injecting toxins into immune cells such as macrophages, responsible for detecting invading bacteria. Once these cells are eliminated, the bacteria can multiply rapidly without hindrance. Bubonic Plague is primarily transmitted from rodents to humans through an intermediate host, fleas.

When infected with Bubonic Plague, individuals exhibit typical symptoms such as fever, headache, body fatigue, and the development of necrotic lesions and swollen lymph nodes, particularly in the armpits and groin.

Bubonic Plague

was a horrifying scourge in Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and the North Asian region during the period of 1346-1350, claiming the lives of 2/3 of those infected within just 4 days.

The Black Death pandemic that ravaged Europe and many other parts of the world came to an end in 1350. However, the Bubonic Plague continued to reappear after several generations over many centuries. Hygiene and public health practices have significantly mitigated the impact of the disease, but it has never been completely eradicated.

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was one of the most dangerous pandemics in history. The disease infected approximately 500 million people worldwide (about one-third of the world's population at that time) and resulted in 50 million deaths. The 1918 influenza pandemic was first identified in Europe, the United States, and parts of Asia before quickly spreading globally. At that time, there were no vaccines or effective treatments for this disease.

This flu pandemic was caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus, originally a bird flu that transmitted to humans. Currently, most people have immunity to the H1N1 virus.

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is most common in the lungs but significantly affects the nervous, immune, circulatory, excretory, and musculoskeletal systems.

Currently, tuberculosis is the primary and most prevalent infectious disease, affecting around 2 billion people, equivalent to one-third of the world's population. There are approximately 9 million new cases of tuberculosis each year, causing 1.5 million deaths, mostly concentrated in developing countries.

With the advancement of the world, there are now effective medications (mostly in pill form) available for treating tuberculosis.

Malaria is also one of the oldest known diseases, recorded to have appeared over 4000 years ago. Malaria, caused by the Plasmodium parasite, can spread from person to person through mosquito bites. Tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Africa are the areas with the highest incidences of malaria. It is estimated that around 515 million people worldwide suffer from malaria, with 1 to 3 million deaths annually.

Currently, there are about 10,000 cases of malaria in Western Europe, and the United States experiences 1300-1500 cases each year. Malaria is distributed in a broad band around the equatorial region, with some regions in the Americas, Asia, and most areas in Africa; the sub-Saharan African region accounts for 85-90% of malaria-related deaths.

Plague (scientifically known as Cholera) caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, induces severe diarrhea accompanied by fluid loss due to the toxins produced by this bacterium. This disease once afflicted the people of ancient India, but it wasn't until the 19th century that it erupted worldwide. The body's immune system can easily defeat the Cholera bacterium. However, our bodies may not wait until then due to excessive fluid loss leading to death.

The first person to identify the bacterium causing plague was Robert Koch in 1883. With improved living conditions, cholera gradually disappeared. However, in 1991, a cholera epidemic broke out, causing 300,000 cases and 4,000 deaths that year.

Worldwide, cholera affects around 3 - 5 million people and causes at least 100,000 - 130,000 deaths annually.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) caused by the virus named SARS virus. SARS-CoV is believed to be an animal virus from an uncertain reservoir, possibly bats, transmitted to other animals (civets) and then to the first human case in Guangdong province, southern China, in 2002. From November 2002 to July 2003, the SARS epidemic erupted in Hong Kong and quickly spread globally, resulting in 8422 infections and 916 deaths worldwide (a fatality rate of 10.9%).

Within a few weeks, the SARS outbreak originating in Hong Kong spread to 37 countries worldwide in early 2003, causing severe impacts, including in Vietnam. Therefore, the SARS epidemic is considered one of the largest and most terrifying global health crises to date.

Ebola Outbreak erupted due to the Ebola Zaire virus. The Ebola epidemic originated in Guinea in December 2013, but it wasn't discovered and spread to other countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and many others until March 2014.

Initially, the virus spread to humans through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, and tissues of animals. Later, the Ebola virus spread to other humans through direct contact with the body fluids of the infected person or those who have died. This can occur when a person comes into contact with body fluids contaminated with the virus (or objects carrying the virus), and the virus enters through cuts in broken skin, eyes, nose, or mouth. Additionally, the virus can be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person.

As of October 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 10,141 suspected cases of Ebola virus, including 4,922 deaths. By the current time, the Ebola outbreak has been brought under control.

Yellow Fever is one of the imported diseases to America during the transatlantic slave trade. This dangerous disease nearly decimated Napoleon's invincible army, with an estimated 33,000 troops sent to the North American colonies, of which 29,000 succumbed to yellow fever.

Similar to malaria, yellow fever has the potential to spread through an intermediate host, mosquitoes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus. The virus is transmitted through the bloodstream from infected humans and animals to uninfected individuals through mosquito bites, specifically from Aedes mosquitoes carrying the virus. Aedes mosquitoes serve as both the primary vector for the yellow fever virus and a reservoir for the pathogen.

The World Health Organization estimates there are 200,000 cases of yellow fever worldwide each year, resulting in 30,000 deaths. Yellow fever appears to be on the rise globally due to decreasing human immune system resilience, deforestation, climate change, and high-density urbanization.

In 2012, a new virus originating from camels emerged in the Middle East and gradually evolved into a global pandemic. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) spread at an alarming rate. Since 2012, MERS has been present in 25 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that as of 6/7, 1,179 people were infected with the MERS virus, resulting in 442 fatalities. South Korea, considered a 'hotspot,' recorded 95 infections with 7 fatalities.

As of 2015, the epidemic continued in South Korea and China. Globally, as of 17/6/2015, there were 1,329 cases of MERS-CoV, with 466 fatalities across 26 countries.

Between 1545 and 1548, a mysterious illness characterized by high fever and bleeding ravaged the Mexican highlands, occurring after prolonged droughts. The indigenous Aztecs referred to this disease as Cocoliztli, the culprit behind wiping out nearly the entire indigenous population.

By its end, Cocciztli had claimed between 5 to 15 million lives, equivalent to 80% of Mexico's indigenous population, making it one of the worst demographic catastrophes in human history—comparable to the Black Death pandemic that took about 25 million lives in Western Europe from 1347 to 1351 or approximately 50% of the region's population.

The second outbreak of Cocciztli occurred from 1576 to 1578, killing an additional 2 - 2.5 million people, approximately 50% of the remaining indigenous population. New diseases introduced from Europe and Africa, such as smallpox, measles, and scarlet fever, have long been considered significant contributors to the population decline. Detailed analysis of the epidemics in 1545 and 1576 suggests they may have been hemorrhagic fevers caused by a native virus transmitted through rodent vectors.