Pandemic

A pandemic is a situation when an infectious process spreads throughout the country, reaching catastrophic proportions, it can go beyond the borders of one state and cover the whole world. The number of cases during a pandemic is measured in tens, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people. During an epidemic, the disease is spread over the territory and the number of cases is smaller.

The long history of mankind is inseparable from the history of numerous epidemics that constantly accompanied it on planet Earth, and the number of their victims sometimes significantly exceeded all losses during hostilities. The human race throughout its existence has been plagued by all sorts of plagues and pandemics of various diseases.

One of the leading trends in world development is the processes of globalization, which cause an unequal distribution of wealth between developed and developing countries, as well as within these countries by social groups. Such a distribution of wealth leads to obvious inequality in the quality and living conditions of the population, in the state of people's health, even in the territory of one city (region) of the country. Obviously, the poorer living conditions and poor health of some population groups, both in the poorest and non-poor countries, create conditions for the emergence, development and spread of infectious diseases. Today, people are threatened by "old and new" infectious diseases for which doctors have developed and are implementing research programs aimed at protecting people from infections.

In ancient times, pandemics were perceived by people as God's punishment, sent for their many sins. There are many cases in history when entire cities and even countries died out as a result of epidemics. Some of these misfortunes looked very mysterious. For example, a terrible epidemic that broke out in Athens in 451 BC. e. during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, which claimed the lives of one-third of the entire population of Athens within a year, because of this pandemic, Athens was defeated. On the seventh or ninth day, the patients died from internal heat. The disease that gripped Athens disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, still remaining a mystery to physicians and historians. Contributed to the spread of infections and the emergence of epidemics, a new sedentary lifestyle, the development of agriculture and cattle breeding, and an increase in population density. The first documented pandemic, known as the Justinian Plague, occurred in the 6th century BC. in the Byzantine Empire and covered many countries, killing about 100 million people in half a century. Separate regions of Europe, for example, Italy, were almost depopulated and became easy prey for the conquerors. Coming out of Egypt, the plague devastated almost all the countries of the Mediterranean and persisted here for about 60 years. At the height of the pandemic, in 542, many hundreds of people were dying every day in Constantinople alone. In general, one of the most terrible and devastating epidemics in the history of mankind were plague pandemics.

The Plague of Justinian is the first recorded pandemic in history, which began in 541 in the Eastern Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, which is named after him. This is one of the largest pandemics in world history.

The plague of Justinian spread rapidly as a result of the coincidence of two main factors: the intensification of military conflicts (the endless wars of both Roman empires with the barbarians) and significant population migration. Natural disasters periodically shook the whole of Europe, in 544 years. A terrible flood spread on the coast of the Balkan Peninsula, and in 545-547 soil vibrations (earthquakes) and floods were observed in different countries of Europe. All this indicates that the pandemic arose and developed against the background of significant environmental changes, which affected the population immunity of people in areas near the Mediterranean Sea.

The place of the appearance of the first plague is Egypt, the city of Pelusium, or Ethiopia, from where the plague spread along the trade routes to all countries of the Mediterranean.

Researchers believe that the birthplace of this pandemic is the region of East Africa on the territory of modern Kenya. True, there is an opinion that the plague came from Central Asia, from where other pandemics later came. This is confirmed by the data of molecular genetic studies, indicating the formation of the plague microbe as a result of a mutation from Y. pseudotuberculosis in the time interval somewhere between 20-1.5 thousand years ago in the autochthonous populations of the Mongolian marmot.

Clinical manifestations of the Justinian plague.

The patient quickly developed a fever. There were nodules (swelling under the skin) on the penis, or in the armpits, the patients died of pain. Some of the body formed ulcers with blisters such patients quickly died. In some patients, changes in mental activity occurred, more often such manifestations occur in the severe course of plague in the event of the development of infectious-toxic shock.

Patients who survived often had atrophy of the limbs and tongue. Humans were not the only victims of this contagion. Often animals, including dogs, mice, got sick and died from the plague.

This pandemic killed half the population of Europe (25% of Europeans south of the Alps), which allowed the Arabs to capture the Byzantine provinces in the Middle East and Africa. According to rough estimates, from 20 to 50 million people died, some researchers write about the death of up to 100 million people.

Zoologists noted that from the 6th century to the present day, the number of rodent species in Central Asia and the territories around the Caspian Sea has decreased by 80%.

Some researchers increase the duration of the Plague of Justinian to 600 years. They believe that there were three waves (580-582, 588-591 and 599-600).

From 1346 to 1353, an outbreak of plague engulfed Europe, Africa and Asia, and resulted in the death of about a third of the world's population. The plague originated in Asia and spread to other continents through fleas carried by black rats, often found on merchant ships. Ports were major urban centers, they were ideal breeding ground for rats and fleas, and therefore the insidious bacterium flourished, devastating three continents in its path. The symptoms of bubonic plague are black boils, severe vomiting, fever, fever, diarrhea, and pain. The death rate was approximately 75 - 200 million people.