The term plague, in human history, refers to an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality, i.e. a pestilence. An epidemic -- disease outbreaks that strike a large number of people in an area at the same time, may also become a pandemic when it spreads over a wide geographical area or throughout many countries. Bubonic plague, typhus, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, influenza, scarlet fever, malaria, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis are some infectious diseases that have resulted in epidemic or pandemic outbreaks. Look up plague in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... A pestilence is an epidemic or even a pandemic of a virulent and highly contagious disease. ... A pandemic (from Greek παν pan all + δήμος demos people) is an epidemic (an outbreak of an infectious disease) that spreads across a large region (example a continent), or even worldwide. ... Bubonic plague is the best-known variant of the deadly infectious disease plague, which is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Epidemic typhus. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... Cholera (frequently called Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ... Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... This article is about the disease. ...

Plagues of disease are a major factor in the development of human civilization, impacting and altering the course of wars, migrations, population growth, urbanization, industry and cultural development. The term carries such extreme connotations that it is often synonymous with a "calamity", projecting an image of a disastrous evil or affliction. Cities are a major hallmark of human civilization. ...

Plague in history

Plague retains an important place in human history. Humanity has always been vulnerable to and fearful of infectious disease, which has wrought misery, devastation, and havoc throughout the world since ancient times. Times of pestilence have interrupted human affairs and brought great suffering which, in historic times, has often been described and reported in detail. Outbreaks result in extreme loss of life and damage to institutions and economies.

In early cities, large populations were concentrated into crowded communities with often had limited access to fresh water and unregulated disposal of waste. In these communities, waves of disease, whatever the agent of infection, created terror and panic. Accounts of armies that were depleted or defeated by bouts of infection stretch back to the ancient world, and epidemics have frequently ruined the plans and ambitions of military leaders.

Two well known examples of the impact of disease on history are the Black Death, which periodically visited various peoples throughout Asia and Europe between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the overwhelming pandemics of measles and smallpox, as well as other Eurasian diseases, which Europeans brought to peoples in the New World. Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411) The Black Death, or Black Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. ...

During the disease outbreaks of the Middle Ages, the single word "plague" was associated with a disease which reached epidemic and even pandemic proportions in Asia and Europe. The outbreaks drastically decreased the population, disrupting several vital civilizations and are considered to have significantly altered the course of human affairs. The disease has most commonly been identified as bubonic plague, the virulent contagious febrile disease caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis, which is sometimes spread by fleas from rodents to humans. However, recent investigations have cast doubt on this theory, with an alternate hypothesis suggesting that ongoing outbreaks were caused by a viral hemorrhagic disease, perhaps similar to Ebola. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Bubonic plague is the best-known variant of the deadly infectious disease plague, which is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis. ... Binomial name Yersinia pestis (Lehmann & Neumann, 1896) van Loghem 1944 Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. ... Ebola is the common term for a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, which cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever. ...

First contact between Europeans and native people of the American continents brought overwhelming pandemics of measles and smallpox as well as other Eurasian diseases. These diseases spread rapidly among native peoples, often ahead of actual contact with Europeans, and led to a drastic drop in population and the collapse of American cultures. Smallpox and other diseases invaded and crippled the Aztec and Inca civilizations in Central and South America in the sixteenth century. This disease, with loss of population and death of military and social leaders, contributed to the downfall of both American empires and the subjegation of American peoples to Europeans. The Aztecs is a collective term used for all of the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples under the control of the Mexica, founders of Tenochtitlan, and their two principal allies, who built an extensive empire in the late Postclassic period in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Central Mexico. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... Cities are a major hallmark of human civilization. ...

Ongoing danger

The danger posed by epidemic disease has not been eliminated by modern health and hygiene practices. The ever-enlarging human population, rapid international transportation, developing resistance to medication by known disease agents, insect resistance to insecticides and medical complacency have both generated new strains of old diseases and increased the possibility of epidemics caused by emerging new diseases.

Major plague outbreaks

This list contains famous or well documented outbreaks of plagues or disease. They are examined in individual entries:

• Great Plague of Athens (430–427 BC)
  • causal agent: bubonic plague/smallpox/measles/typhus/anthrax/typhoid?
• Antonine Plague (165–180)
  • causal agent: smallpox/measles?
• Plague of Cyprian (250)
  • causal agent: smallpox/measles?
• Plague of Justinian (541–542)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Plague of Emmaus (18 A.H./639 A.D.)
  • causal agent: unknown
• Plague of Constantinople (747–748)
• The "Black Death" of 1347–51:
  • Great Plague of England (1348–1350)
    • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
  • Great Plague of Ireland (1348–1351)
    • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
  • Great Plague of Scotland (1348–1350)
    • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
  • Great Plague of Russia (1349–1353)
    • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Great Plague of Iceland (1402–1404)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague (not bubonic plague, as there were no rats in Iceland)
• London Plague (1592–1594)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Italian Plague of 1629-1631 or Great Plague of Milan (1629–1631)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Great Plague of Seville (1649)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Great Plague of London (1664–1665)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Great Plague of Vienna (1679–1680s)
  • causal agent: viral hemorrhagic plague or possibly bubonic plague
• Great Plague of Marseille (1720–1722)
  • causal agent: possibly bubonic plague?
• Plague Riot in Moscow (1771)
  • causal agent: possibly bubonic plague?
• The Third Pandemic, originated in China (1855–1950s)
  • causal agent: bubonic plague.

The city-state of Athens in ancient Greece was hit by a devastating epidemic, known as the Plague of Athens, during the second year of the Peloponnesian War (430 BC) when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach. ... The Antonine Plague AD 165-180, also known as the Plague of Galen, was an ancient pandemic, either of smallpox or measles brought back to the Roman Empire by troops returning from campaigns in the Near East. ... This page is about Cyprian, bishop of Carthage. ... The Plague of Justinian (541-542) is the first known pandemic on record, and it also marks the first firmly recorded pattern of bubonic plague. ... Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411) The Black Death, or Black Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. ... The Italian Plague of 1629-1631 was a series of outbreaks of bubonic plague from 1629 through 1631 in northern Italy. ... The Great Plague (1649) was a massive outbreak of disease in Spain that killed 60,000 people, up to a 46% of Sevillas population. ... poop poop poop A bill of mortality for the plague year of 1665. ... The Great Plague of Vienna occurred in 1679 in Vienna, Austria, the imperial residence of the Austrian Habsburg rulers. ... The Great Plague of Marseilles was one of the most significant European outbreaks of bubonic plague in the early 18th century. ... Plague Riot in Moscow, 1771 Plague Riot (Чумной бунт in Russian) was a riot in Moscow between September 15 and September 17 of 1771, caused by an outbreak of bubonic plague. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... Worldwide distribution of plague infected animals 1998 A major plague pandemic, called the Third Pandemic, began in China in 1855. ...

See also

• Bubonic plague
• Epidemic
• Pandemic
• Influenza Pandemic of 1918 or Spanish Flu
• Population history of American indigenous peoples