Table 1.
A brief overview of some major pandemics throughout history
| Name | Time | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Antonine Plague [25] | 165–180 AD | Believed to be caused by either smallpox or measles, this pandemic affected the Roman Empire during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. |
| Justinian Plague [26] | 541–542 AD | This pandemic, possibly caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium (which also causes the bubonic plague), affected the Byzantine Empire and contributed to the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire. |
| The Black Death [27] | 1347–1351 | One of the most devastating pandemics in human history, the Black Death was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. It swept through Europe, Asia, and North Africa, leading to the death of millions of people. |
| Third cholera pandemic [28] | 1852–1860 | Cholera, caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, spread from India to Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa, causing significant mortality and social disruption. |
| Spanish flu [29] | 1918–1919 | The H1N1 influenza A virus caused the Spanish flu, which infected about one-third of the world’s population and resulted in an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide. It was unique for its high mortality among young, healthy adults. |
| Asian flu [30] | 1957–1958 | The H2N2 influenza A virus caused the Asian flu, which originated in East Asia and spreading globally. It resulted in an estimated 1–2 million deaths worldwide. |
| HIV/AIDS pandemic [31] | 1981–present | The HIV causes AIDS. This pandemic has had a profound impact globally, with millions of people infected and millions of deaths since it was first identified in the early 1980s. |
| H1N1 influenza pandemic [32] | 2009–2010 | The H1N1 influenza A virus, also known as swine flu, spread globally and resulted in an estimated 151,700–575,400 deaths. |
| COVID-19 pandemic [33] | 2019–present | The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The virus quickly spread worldwide, leading to widespread illness, social and economic disruptions, and significant loss of life. |
HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.