The Black Death A fierce plague swept through Europe in 1348, indiscriminately killing most people who came into contact with it, irrespective of age or social status. This pandemic, which remains perhaps the single greatest human tragedy in history, is known as the Black Death. The earliest known visitation of the plague to Europe may have occurred in Athens in 430 B.C., but it is unclear if the disease that afflicated Athens was caused by Yersina pestis. A disastrous epidemic occurred in the Mediterranean during the time of the Roman emperor Justinian; an estimated 25% to 50% of the population is reported to have succumbed. The most widespread epidemic began in Constantinople in 1334, spread throughout Europe (returning Crusaders were
Community Assessment SZT Task 3 1 A. Analyze SARS outbreak: A1. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. SARS was first discovered in 2003 in China and rapidly spread to over two dozen countries (SARS- Basic Fact Sheet, n.d.). The initial case of SARS was not publicized and was isolated to China for the next three months. In February of 2003 a Chinese doctor visited family in Hong Kong where he stayed at a hotel.
C228 Community Health Task 2 Michelle Wall Meningococcal disease is a disease that can be found worldwide. Meningococcal disease refers to any disease or illness that is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitides, also called meningococcus (Meningococcal disease, 2015). The first documented outbreak was over two hundred years ago in Geneva in 1805 which circulated rapidly and killed thirty three people. The first case ever recorded in America was in 1806 in Medford, Massachusetts (Fredericks, n.d.). A European physician, Professor A Weichselbaum, discovered the cause of the mysterious cerebro-spinal meningitis illness in 1887 and Penicillin was the first antibiotic used to fight the disease.
The cause of the disease and its way of spreading were not known at the time. It would be four more years before Koch in Germany proved that a bacterium, the tubercle bacillus, could actually cause a disease; but the germ theory was not well understood, even though the spread of disease by filth was considered the likely cause. The epidemic was so severe that Memphis was evacuated except for 19,000 persons, of whom 17,000 were stricken with the disease. Crosby describes Memphis as a city of corpses, with some of the features remindful of the great plagues of Europe. A large part of the book is concentrated on the Yellow Fever
In 2010, the Haiti National Public Health Laboratory declared a cholera outbreak in Haiti after being notified of a sudden increase in patients with diarrhea and dehydration. (Centers for disease control and prevention) This outbreak was caused by contaminated food or water or an infected person, and lab tests were able to identify the cholera strain. Testing may never fully explain how cholera was introduced into Haiti; and although it is important to understand how infectious agents move to new countries, we may never know the actual origin of this cholera strain. (MSNBC) When responding to an outbreak, the usual intervention strategy is to reduce deaths by ensuring prompt access to treatment, and to
During the 1854 cholera breakout in London, many factors contributed to the resistance to innovation regarding the causation of this disease. Class prejudices, folklore, and the general acceptance of the miasmas theory created a resistance so strong that thousands of Londoners died before the Board of Public Health finally accepted the possibility that cholera was being spread through drinking water. John Snow, a highly acclaimed anesthesiologist of the time, developed a theory that suggested a possible reason for the sudden wave of illness throughout the streets of London. After countless days walking the disease-stricken streets of south London, many hours spent pondering the day’s research, and personal intuition that told him that problems with the digestive system
At the time, it was deadly – the constant loss of fluids caused such severe dehydration that the patients often fell into comas and died. Snow was an epidemic doctor, and the first to prove there was a link between water and cholera. In 1854, he worked on Broad Street in Soho, London. This street and
No medical knowledge existed in Medieval England to cope with the disease. After 1350, it was to strike England another six times by the end of the century. Understandably, peasants were terrified at the news that the Black Death might be approaching their village or town. The Black Death is the name given to a disease called the bubonic plague which was rampant during the Fourteenth Century. In fact, the bubonic plague affected England more than once in that century but its impact on English society from 1348 to 1350 was terrible.
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, recent analysis of DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe indicates that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which causes the Bubonic plague, although these were different, previously unknown ancestral variants of those identified in the 20th century. The Black Death is thought to have started in China or central Asia, before spreading west. It is estimated to have killed 25 million people or 30% of the population of China. The plague then travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1346.
The Impact of Black Death on Society Rowena R. Chaple World Civilizations I HIS 103 Professor Steven Harn March 6, 2010 The Impact of Black Death on Society All through history, the world has endured enormous death rates caused by plagues, and the most famous was without a doubt the bubonic plague. It was named the Black Death and spread across Medieval Europe in the years 1346-53. During this time the Black Death was to kill 1.5 million people out of an estimated 4 million people. Ancient history includes descriptions of epidemics that seized their victims suddenly and offered an agonizing death as far back as 430 B.C.E. in Athens, Greece.