Visualizing the History of Pandemics #infographic

Just as human beings have spread around the world, so have infectious diseases. While outbreaks are almost constant even in this modern period, not every outbreak reaches the pandemic stage as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has. Today's visualization describes some of the deadliest pandemics in history, from the Antonine Plague to the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

Disease and disease have afflicted mankind, our fatal flaw, since the earliest days. However, the severity and spread of these diseases did not increase significantly until the marked change to the agrarian communities. Widespread trade created new possibilities for encounters between humans and animals that spurred these epidemics on.

It was during these early years that malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, pneumonia, smallpox and others first appeared. The more developed humans became the more likely pandemics would arise-with bigger cities, more exotic trading networks, and increased interaction with various groups of people, animals, and ecosystems.

infographic by: www.visualcapitalist.com