At this very moment, somewhere in the world, there are either people getting sick or dealing with a sickness. Here in the United States, there has been a break out of measles, that has been growing. Something that may not seem deadly such as Measles could very well be deadly to an infant who hasn’t gotten the chance to have a vaccine or someone who is immunome compromised. There are people nowadays who take vaccines for granted, but they have never seen or experienced an out-of-control, worldwide illness. Vaccines are not the only form of preventative care that wasn’t always emphasized such as aseptic techniques, forms of disinfectants, and proper sanitation. These sorts of procedures and advanced medicine have been put into place to help prevent illnesses that could cause large numbers of deaths from spreading worldwide, this is known as a pandemic. The harsh realities of pandemics such as the black plague, smallpox, and HIV/AIDS have taught us why preventative measures need to be taken.
The plague, known by many names such as the black death, or the bubonic plague this pandemic is a hard one to forget. It wasn’t just the overall attire of the doctors that made it so unforgettable but rather the massive death toll. This all began in China, the warmer climate brought upon a large population of rodents that carried infected fleas. “The Black Death was not an airborne contagious disease and did not thrive during the winters, unlike many sicknesses” (Britannica, 2019). Back in the times of 1300, it was not abnormal for there to be rats running in the streets, entering homes, or on trade ships. But the rats were not the cause of this disease, they were just the reservoirs, instead the fleas that were feeding off them were the ones who were infected with the bacteria, Yersinia pestis. When these rats or rodents would die the hungry fleas would move on to humans for blood to feed on. Those infected and carrying these fleas, including rats, would board ships for trading and it wasn’t long after that the pandemic began. The mortality rate reached over 25 million in Europe, but it wasn’t just one type of plague that caused this to spread as fast as it did. As previously stated the bubonic plague itself could only be spread through a bite from a rate flea. Then there was a septicemic plague, that would run through blood and could be spread either from fleas or contact with infected body matter. Lastly, since most people did not seek medical attention, what was the bubonic plague would advance into what was known as the pneumonic plague. The pneumonic plague was contagious and spread through airborne droplets. Unfortunately, even in today's age, there is no vaccine for the plague but there are preventative measures that should be taken when traveling to areas that may be infected. Such previsions would consist of checking for any alerts in the location a person is traveling to, avoiding sick or dead animals, and using bug repellent just to name a few.
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A big disadvantage for those who perished in the bubonic plague was the fact that science and microbiology just hadn’t advanced. Smallpox has existed for over 10,000 years, and its origins are still a little fuzzy. Some believe the Antonine plague may have been a major case of smallpox, though it’s still not clear what may have been the cause. Writing with similar descriptions of the disease was found from the 4th century in China to the 18th century in Great Britain and has been used to create a potential timeline. In the 1700’s the first attempt to control the disease called variolation was used. This was done either by scratching the material, such as pustules from smallpox sores, into the arm or inhaling it through the nose (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The result of this may have caused fewer fatalities but was not the kind of fix the world was looking for. In the 1800’s vaccines using cowpox, after tests done on milkmaids proved successful, were used. Though it took many years to get it under control, there had been efforts from the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1959 that unfortunately did not become successful till it started back up in 1967. Thankfully this disease has been eradicated for over a decade, but in the many centuries it was active it claimed over 300 million lives. The vaccine is no longer available to the public since there is no longer a threat, but make no mistake there is a vaccine saved away if it is needed. People who may refuse to take such vaccine in the event should know that those who receive vaccination may still appear ill but will not become as ill as those without having been vaccinated. In addition, once someone has been exposed or infected with the virus, vaccination will no longer be an option.
The past 2 reviewed pandemics either occurred centuries ago or have been eradicated but have taken massive tolls on humanity. To most of the current population these past pandemics and their disease are out of sight, there out of mind. Then there is HIV/AIDS, what others seem to forget is that this was a pandemic not long ago and was just as deadly as smallpox and the great plague. The earliest documentation goes as far back as 1959 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. HIV has since continued to affect 5% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 21 million or so (staff, 2019). Once it made its way here in the United States, it was thought to only infect homosexuals during sexual encounters and for that reason unfortunately nothing was being done. But soon people would come to find out it wasn’t only transmitted sexually in the homosexual community. Those who dabbled in drugs that involved used needles would develop HIV through blood and then would either continue to pass it on to others in the same way or sexually. Before any form of action could be taken the population of those infected with HIV had grown rapidly and the belief that it would only affect those in the homosexual community would be disproved. By the time 1981 rolled around it was estimated 65 million had been infected. The death toll had reached over 25 million from untreated HIV that would become AIDS. Thankfully over time medicine and research on HIV have evolved and people infected can continue to live normal lives without the concern of ever developing AIDS. Currently, modern medicine has been working hard to review data in hopes of developing provisions and treatments that could reduce treatment by as much as 50% by 2020.
In conclusion, the harsh realities of pandemics such as the great plague, smallpox, and HIV/AIDS have taught us why preventative measures need to be taken. The simplest procedures like washing your hands with soap and water are so easily taken for granted but have helped us from the spread of bacteria and viruses at home, work, and even the hospital. In the early days, before vaccines were available, there were recorded on average 6,000 deaths due to measles in the United States alone, and this data was collected from 1912-1922. A few decades later, once vaccines became available, the number of infected was still rather high, but the number of deaths dropped. Vaccines are the only way to prevent major disease outbreaks when washing your hands isn’t enough. Writings and research continue to shape modern medicine and prepare us for what may come in hopes of preventing these morbid events from reoccurring. Preventative care is not what people should be afraid of but rather what life without these measures could become.
References
- Britannica, T. E. (2019, January 17). Black Death. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death
- Centers for Disease control and prevention, N. C.-C. (2016, August 30). History of Smallpox. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html
- staff, M. O. (2019). Outbreak: 10 of the Worst Pandemics in History. Retrieved from MPHonline: https://www.mphonline.org/worst-pandemics-in-history/
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