Pandemics That Changed HistoryIn the realm of infectious diseases, a pandemic is the worst case scenario. When an epidemic spreads beyond a country’s borders, that’s when the disease officially becomes a pandemic. Communicable diseases existed during humankind’s hunter‑gatherer days, but the shift to agrarian life 10,000 years ago created communities that made epidemics more possible. Malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, […]Read more
CholeraWhat Is Cholera? Cholera is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria typically live in waters that are somewhat salty and warm, such as estuaries and waters along coastal areas. People contract V. cholerae after drinking liquids or eating foods contaminated with the bacteria, such as raw or undercooked shellfish. […]Read more
3:06 minTV-PGFlorence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale was so respected in the field of nursing that she was tapped to consult with the British Army. Learn more about the health reforms that she instituted in this video.Watch now
Spanish FluThe Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one‑third of the planet’s population—and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including some 675,000 Americans.Read more
Black DeathHow Did the Black Plague Start? Even before the “death ships” pulled into port at Messina, many Europeans had heard rumors about a “Great Pestilence” that was carving a deadly path across the trade routes of the Near and Far East. Indeed, in the early 1340s, the disease had struck China, India, Persia, Syria and […]Read more
