Not The First: A look at past pandemics in the U.S.

Anyone who’s taken a history class knows that seemingly every century there’s a new disease that earns the title of a pandemic. With coronavirus taking over our lives right now, why not look at how some past epidemics played out to see what we might have in store.

Smallpox:

One of the first recorded epidemics in the U.S. can be traced back to the 1600s when smallpox spread throughout the newly settled colonies. With little hygiene knowledge, colonists passed the disease unknowingly by sharing bedding, water glasses and human contact — I guess they didn’t get the social distancing memo.

The infected would experience bumps and blisters on their face and body along with a high fever. Doctors told patients to relieve these symptoms by leaving windows open and to drink beer throughout the day — but it wasn’t until 1796 that the first ever vaccine was discovered by a physician named Edward Jenner. Because of Jenner’s discovery, smallpox was eradicated after a final outbreak in 1949 — raising the death toll to an estimated 300 million — and hasn’t returned since.

Cholera:

With 1.3 to 4 million infections worldwide per year and a total of seven global pandemics over time, cholera remains a prominent disease throughout the world. Originating from contaminated rice in India in 1817, cholera first made an appearance in America in the early 18th century where it broke out sporadically until it died down in 1851. 

Although Cholera vaccines are readily available, people can still be infected through raw shellfish or consuming food or drink contaminated with the bacteria. However, only about 20% of people experience severe symptoms and the remaining 80% get over the disease on their own.

Typhoid Fever:

When Typhoid fever broke out in New York in the early 1900s, disease investigator George Soper set out to find the cause. Eventually he came to the conclusion that a cook by the name of Mary Mallon was the source and was spreading it to families who hired her. 

This would be the first time medical experts would come to the conclusion that people like Mallon could carry the disease but show no symptoms — similar to coronavirus in that some people are asymptomatic. Because of this, Mallon, dubbed as “Typhoid Mary,” was forced into quarantine (I can’t imagine) for a large portion of her life to prevent others from falling ill. By the time she died, health officials were able to track down other carriers and put an end to the New York Typhoid outbreak.

Spanish Flu:

The Spanish Flu trumped all other epidemics by becoming the deadliest pandemic in history — taking out close to a third of the world’s population during 1918. The first round of this flu was mild and took place in the spring, killing more than 100 people. But the second wave earned it the title of the “deadliest pandemic,”which still stands true today. 

Spain was hit particularly hard by this second wave of influenza, killing close to 260,000 in its time span. U.S. soldiers brought this strain of influenza to America in the summer of 1918 after returning from WW1. Because this strain of flu had not been seen before, people didn’t have the natural immunity they needed to fight it off — leading to high deaths among the young and healthy. Similar to what we are experiencing today, doctors advised that people wear medical masks, avoid public gatherings and shut down businesses. By 1919 the pandemic ended after the infected either died or developed immunity.

Coronavirus:

Just like the other epidemics, coronavirus has made a notable change to our daily lives and has struck people with fear and anxiety. The disease went from a small outbreak in Wuhan, China to a global pandemic in a matter of months. The world went into a panic mode — buying out grocery store shelves and medical supplies, leaving health officials with a shortage. 

This highly contagious flu strain can be identified with flu-like symptoms that appear close to two weeks after a person is infected. Much like Typhoid Mary, some victims may be carriers, not showing symptoms but still spreading the illness unknowingly. Because of this, social distancing guidelines have been put into action until further notice in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Hopefully we can learn from past epidemic’s mistakes and successes and be a smaller chapter in future history books.

*information courtesy of CDC, National Geographic and History