Coronavirus Reminiscent of 1720 Plague & Other Epidemics: List of Deadliest Pandemics to Hit The World in Last 300 Years

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which was later termed as COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it seems that once in every 100 years, the world braces for an outbreak of a new disease. COVID-19, which started in China in December 2019, became a pandemic, killing as many as 6606 people across the world till March 16, 2020. According to data released by WHO, there are 1,67,511 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. The global body termed coronavirus as a pandemic as the deadly disease began spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time. Is Coronavirus an Epidemic or a Pandemic? Know The Meaning and Difference Between These Terms.

If we look back at history, we will know that every 100 years, the world had witnessed a pandemic. In 1720, the plague outbreak had hit the world, 1980 braced a cholera outbreak, 1920 saw Spanish Flu pandemic and this year, in 2020, the world has been hit by 2020 Chinese coronavirus. Coronavirus Live Map: Track Spread of COVID-19 Across The Globe.

The 1720 Plague Outbreak

The Great Plague of Marseille hit the world between 25 May 1720 – 1722. It was the last of the significant European outbreaks of bubonic plague, which is  is one of three types of plagues. The disease that originated in Marseille area of France in 1720, killed a total of 100,000 people: 50,000 in the city during the next two years and another 50,000 to the north in surrounding provinces and towns.

The bubonic plague is a deadly type of plague, which was the cause of the Black Death that swept through Asia, Europe, and Africa in the 14th century. It had killed an estimated 50 million people. It took nearly 5 to 6 years for the European nations to get to normal. By 1765, the growing population was back at its pre-1720 level.

1820 Cholera Pandemic

The first cholera pandemic hit the world during 1817 to 1824. The Cholera outbreak, which is also known as the first Asiatic cholera pandemic or Asiatic cholera, began near Calcutta (now Kolkata) and spread throughout Southeast Asia to the Middle East, eastern Africa and the Mediterranean coast.

In the wake of the cholera pandemic, thousands of people died, including many British soldiers. This was the first of several cholera pandemics to sweep through Asia and Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. This first pandemic spread over a large area, affecting almost every country in Asia.

1920 Spanish Flu Pandemic

The Spanish flu pandemic hit the world for two years between January 1918 to December 1920. The influenza infected 500 million people around the world which accounts to nearly 27% of the world population of between 1.8 and 1.9 billion. The death toll is estimated to have been nearly 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million. With the record number of deaths, the Spanish flu was one of the deadliest epidemics in human history.

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic, also known as COVID-19, originated in Wuhan city of China and later spread to as many as 160 countries in just three months. The outbreak was first reported in China in December 2019 and was termed as a ‘pandemic’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. As of March 16, more than 185,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 160 countries and territories, resulting in more than 6606 deaths worldwide.

On March 13, the WHO stated that Europe had become the new epicentre of the pandemic. The countries that have been worst-hit by the pandemic include mainland China, Europe, Iran, South Korea, and the United States among others. On March 16, WHO informed that COVID-19 cases surpassed those inside China. The global body said over 83,000 confirmed coronavirus cases were reported outside China, exceeding the cumulative number of infections in the Asian giant, where the virus originated in December 2019.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2020 05:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).