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In our history, there have been multiple pandemics that have left a devastating impact on those time periods. Through this timeline, you will be able to look into and see how that pandemic affected the time period it was in. Comparing and contrasting the pandemics and their effects on communities, you will notice how healthcare professionals and facilities were major factors in the outbreaks.
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Most died 7-9 days after being infected but if they lasted longer they would experience disfigurement of body parts, blindness, and memory loss. Since it was so early in time and in the middle of a large war, treatment options were slim. This caused it to spread so rapidly. Many people tried to sleep it off, remain naked to cool themselves, or submerged into cold water to ease the pain. The disease died out in 426 BCE and has yet to be discovered of the specific disease it was.
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During the Peloponnesian War in 430 BCE, an outbreak erupted in Athens. The origin came from sub-Saharan Africa and spread across Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. The disease did not quite have a name, but had many symptoms and led to killing about ⅓ of the population numbered 250,000-300,000. These symptoms included violent heats in the head, redness or inflammation of the eyes, bleeding of the throat and tongue, trouble breathing, and vomiting. -
Leprosy had been around for ages but grew into a pandemic in Europe in the 11th century spreading along European trade routes. Leprosy often referred to as “living death”, is a slow-developing bacterial disease that causes sores and deformities. It can become fatal if not treated with antibiotics, in the extreme form it could cause loss of fingers and toes, gangrene, blindness, the collapse of the nose, ulcerations, and weakening of the skeletal frame. -
By 1200, an estimated 19,000 leprosy hospitals existed all over Europe. However, that did not cure the disease. Oils derived from chaulmoogra trees were known to treat the skin conditions of leprosy but not the other effects. DDS and Mycobacterium leprae became major factors in the treatment process until the problem of drug resistance arose. After trial and error for many centuries, leprosy is curable with multidrug- therapy, and the cases of the disease declined worldwide.
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The Black Death was a devastating global pandemic of the bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia. It began as ships from the Black Sea arrived in Europe and had brought the disease with them, most passengers were dead or almost to their end. There are many symptoms of the disease that include: swelling under the armpits or in the groin area, blood or pus seeping out of these swellings, fever, chills, vomiting, and awful aches. -
The Bubonic Plague attacks the lymphatic system causing the infection to spread to blood or lungs if untreated. Doctors and other professionals refused to see their patients and stores were closed. Port cities created isolation and quarantine rules for sailors so that they could make sure they were not carrying the disease. There are antibiotics to treat the plague, however, they are still about 2,000 cases every year.
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The first of seven Cholera pandemics broke out in the 1800s, originating out of the Ganges Delta in India. Cholera is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae and typically lives in waters that are salty and warm like along coastal areas. 80% of people who contract Cholera do not have symptoms, but symptoms include severe diarrhea, vomiting, septic shock, and dehydration. Much like the other early pandemics, the disease spread rapidly through European trade routes. -
Cholera killed over one million people at its first outbreak. After six years, it died out because of a severe winter killing the bacteria in the water. However, it did not go away. It returned many times throughout the years of 1829-2017 in various parts of the world. But with the lack of safety precautions, the pandemic continued to come back. Cholera can now be treated with rehydration methods and antibiotics.
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The avian-flu spread across the world and became known as the most severe pandemic up to that point. About 500 million people, ⅓ of the world’s population, became infected with this virus causing about 50 million deaths worldwide. The first wave of the pandemic caused regular flu symptoms. However, the later stages of the pandemic caused victim’s skin to turn blue and their lungs to fill with liquid that led to suffocation. -
Due to WWI happening in this time period, there was a lack of healthcare workers. Therefore, schools, homes, and other buildings had to be converted into makeshift hospitals because of the overwhelming amount of patients. Quarantine regulations were put into place as well as requirements for masks and shutting down of public places. Much like the other early pandemics, influenza pandemics happened several times after this.
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AIDS is a disease that destroys a person’s immune system spreading through certain body fluids which results in eventual death by diseases that the body could usually fight off. AIDS and HIV have many symptoms including rapid weight loss, fever, prolonged sweating, sores, rashes, and aches. AIDS was first brought to American gay communities but is believed to develop from the chimpanzee virus in West Africa. Since the discovery, over 35 million people worldwide have died from AIDS. -
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. There are over 1.1 million people living with HIV. HIV testing is important for prevention and the introduction of Antiretroviral therapy has reduced AIDS-related morbidity and mortality after diagnosis. Federal and local departments and agencies have brought many domestic responses to this disease. Providing disease surveillance, prevention, care, support services, and health insurance coverage.
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COVID-19 spread rapidly through 114 countries and infected over 118,000 people within the first three months of 2020. This virus has flu-like symptoms, however, some people do not experience symptoms at all. With the rapid outbreak of this pandemic, public places began to close down. Masks mandates were required and social distancing became a part of normal life. As the disease began to spread over the course of 2020, victims developed antibodies that abled them to be immune for a few months. -
Due to the social distancing requirements, a lot of healthcare professionals have had to move to telemedicine. However, those who are able to stay in person limited the care to patients and restricted access to family members. In January of 2021, a vaccine was introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The vaccine was given to the most vulnerable communities and will later be given to others. With the vaccine, there are hopes of life going back to normal.