BZD. General information about epidemics

Epidemic - the rapid spread of an infectious disease among the population, significantly exceeding the usual incidence rate for the area. Progresses in time and can become a source emergency not only in certain locality but also in several countries.

The fight against epidemics as a natural element has been and remains a difficult task. Despite all the existing measures to prevent the spread of diseases, the number of victims of infection can be in the millions of people. An example is the HIV infection that has engulfed all countries of the world. Each new outbreak of the disease can be significantly different from the previous ones. The course of the epidemic is influenced by climate and weather, geographical location region, as well as living and hygienic living conditions of residents.

The science of epidemiology - what does it study?

Epidemiology is a science that studies and describes the patterns of occurrence and spread of diseases, as well as ways to deal with them and preventive measures.

epidemic process

An epidemic process is the continuous spread of an infectious disease that occurs when three conditions are met:

• the presence of a source of infection;
• transmission mechanism;
• people susceptible to infection.

The absence of even one of these conditions leads to a disruption in the chain of the epidemic process and stops the transmission of the disease.

At the same time, the emergence of an epidemic and the nature of its course are also influenced by natural conditions(Availability natural foci infections) social factors and the state of the health care system.

The beginning of an epidemic is impossible without a source of disease, where the pathogen multiplies and accumulates. Such a source is infected person or an animal. Moreover, the transmission of the disease is possible not only during acute condition but also during convalescence and carriage. Even when the main symptoms of the disease have subsided, and the state of health has improved significantly, microbes continue to be excreted from the body. Objects of the environment (for example, personal items - dishes, towels, etc.) can also serve as a source of the disease, because the pathogen is present on them, albeit for a limited period of time.

The spread of the epidemic

The spread of epidemics occurs through certain mechanisms of transmission of the pathogen from the source of infection to a susceptible organism.

The isolation of microbes is short-lived and is accompanied by the release of one or another substance. For example, droplets of saliva when coughing or sneezing. Getting into environment, the pathogen is carried further with the help of air, water, food, household items, earth, live vectors - insects and animals. Then it penetrates into a healthy, but sensitive organism.

Any infectious disease is characterized by its own transmission mechanism, which was formed as a result of evolution. Depending on the location and reproduction of the pathogen in the infected organism, as well as transmission factors, four main mechanisms are distinguished:

1. Aerosol;
2. fecal-oral;
3. Transmissible;
4. Contact.

In the aerosol transmission mechanism, the spread of epidemics occurs through the air. The causative agent is released into the external environment when talking, coughing or sneezing in the form of an aerosol and can easily move inside the room and even penetrate through corridors and ventilation ducts beyond it. Thus, the epidemic of influenza and childhood infections is supported: measles, chickenpox, whooping cough.

Severe epidemics of intestinal infections (such as cholera) are caused by fecal-oral mechanism pathogen transmission. The feces of a sick person, getting into the water, infect it, which contributes to the further spread of the disease.

The transmissible mechanism of infection transmission (through insects) underlies the spread of epidemics of the disease that has become the most terrible in the history of mankind - the plague. Insects and animals also serve as vectors for many other infectious diseases found throughout the world. For example, epidemic typhus is transmitted to humans through lice bites, malaria - mosquitoes.

The contact mechanism of transmission contributes to the development of diseases of the skin and mucous membranes, including venereal diseases. This transmission mechanism should not be underestimated, because one of the most dangerous infections modern society HIV is transmitted from person to person through sexual contact.

End of the epidemic

The natural end of the epidemic occurs when all susceptible people have been infected and recovered, having acquired immunity. For example, according to this scenario, a gradual decline in the incidence of influenza develops. People with a weakened immune system are most susceptible to this respiratory virus: children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those suffering from chronic diseases if they have not been previously vaccinated. After the “wave” of an infectious disease has swept through the most vulnerable groups of the population, the epidemic is gradually subsiding.

End the epidemic with various methods struggle aimed at all parts of the epidemic process.

The combination of various scientifically based methods of combating epidemics and prevention measures is called anti-epidemic measures. Thanks to them, it is possible to prevent the development of infectious diseases among the most vulnerable groups of the population, reduce the overall incidence in the country, and even completely eliminate individual diseases.

Anti-epidemic measures affect one or more parts of the epidemic process:

1. The source of the disease is restrictive measures;
2. Transmission mechanism - disinfection;
3. Susceptibility of the body - immunoprophylaxis.

Active measures aimed at combating an infectious disease lead to the end of the epidemic.

restrictive measures

Epidemic control measures aimed at limiting the source of the disease are introduced when cases of highly contagious infectious diseases are detected in the population that spread within a specific area, such as a city.

There are two options for restrictive measures:

• Quarantine;
• Observation.

Everyone famous word"quarantine" is often heard on the news, especially during the flu season. It implies measures that prevent the spread of a dangerous infectious disease among the population, in other words, the development of an epidemic. Quarantine is essentially the isolation of sick people (the focus of the disease).

Observation, on the contrary, provides for the isolation of a group of healthy individuals, but who have been in contact with sick people or carriers of the infection. This is necessary for medical supervision, control and, if necessary, treatment in order to prevent the onset of an epidemic or its spread.

Disinfection

The spread of the epidemic is impossible if the mechanism of infection transmission is broken. This is facilitated by the observance of general sanitary and hygienic rules, including the rules of personal hygiene, as well as disinfection. Of course, for each infectious disease, certain agents are effective, which are selected depending on the properties of the pathogen and its resistance.

There are two types of disinfection:

• Current disinfection is performed at the place of residence of the patient, if his treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis. It can be carried out, for example, by relatives, following the instructions medical staff;
• Final disinfection is carried out after hospitalization.

Immunoprophylaxis

To prevent infectious diseases and their active spread among the population, in fact - epidemics, immunoprophylaxis (prophylactic vaccinations) is carried out.

Vaccination of residents in various countries is carried out in accordance with the national calendar of preventive vaccinations. In the Russian Federation, it is approved by the Ministry of Health. It contains: a list of infectious diseases, the timing of vaccination against them, as well as the categories of people who should be vaccinated. The first part provides information about mandatory vaccinations, and in the second - performed only according to epidemic indications.

The fight against epidemics begins with prevention - early immunization of the population.

Various testimonies of terrifying pandemics that have caused the devastation of vast territories have survived to this day. Traces of some infectious diseases have been found in ancient burials. For example, signs of leprosy and tuberculosis are found on Egyptian mummies. The symptoms of many now known diseases are described in the manuscripts of ancient civilizations.

The first epidemic, which is called the "Justinian Plague", began during the reign of Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium. It covered the entire territory known at that time in the world and lasted for two centuries (541-750), manifesting itself in separate outbreaks.

According to the surviving chronicles, the source of the first epidemic originated in Egypt. Through trade routes, the infectious disease was brought to Constantinople, and then spread throughout the territory of Byzantium and passed to neighboring countries.

More than 100 million people worldwide fell victim to the first epidemic.

Plague epidemics

Long before the emergence of evidence-based interventions to combat the spread of epidemics in medieval Europe began to detain people at border points for a period of 40 days to prevent the plague. Thus, “quarantine” arose, a term that literally means “forty days” in Italian.

Plague is an acute infectious disease that belongs to the group of quarantine diseases. It runs extremely hard. Accompanied by fever, general intoxication of the body, defeat internal organs, primarily the lungs and lymph nodes.

In natural foci, the existence of infection is supported by small rodents - marmots, ground squirrels, rats and others. The carrier of the disease are fleas. The most common forms of plague are bubonic and pneumonic.

Plague is strongly associated with an epidemic of a deadly disease. Indeed the most famous plague epidemic, taking lives 60 million people, became one of the most terrible in the history of mankind and was called the "Black Death". Presumably, its appearance is a consequence of the cooling of the climate, which attracted rats to people's homes. In 1320, the first cases of the disease were noted. First, the plague epidemic swept China and India, and then spread to the Don and Volga rivers. From there, the disease spread to the Caucasus and the Crimea, and was later brought to Europe.

The last plague epidemic recorded in the world was in 1910 in Manchuria. According to various estimates, from 60 to 100 thousand people became its victims. Russia has adopted emergency measures to counteract the epidemic, in particular, sanitary conditions were improved, deratization (destruction of rats) was carried out and a new hospital in Irkutsk was equipped. Competently carried out anti-epidemic measures made it possible to prevent the further spread of the infection.

The risk of getting plague in the 21st century

Episodes of human infection with plague are recorded almost annually. This is not surprising, because natural foci of this disease exist not only in the countries of Asia and Africa, but also in Russia, for example, on Lake Baikal.

However, the risk that a plague epidemic will occur today is minimal, and you should not be afraid of this. Up until the 1970s, massive measures were taken in the Soviet Union to treat natural foci to reduce the number of rodents. At present, anti-plague brigades are constantly monitoring the area.

Smallpox or smallpox - highly contagious viral infection. In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors brought the disease to the Americas. The Aztec Empire then occupied the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula and had a population of several million people. At the end of the epidemic, after meeting with a previously unknown microbe, the number of inhabitants was halved.

In Russia, smallpox was first recorded in the early 16th century. The infection was brought to Siberia. After the epidemic, the population decreased by three times. In Europe, even in the 18th century, half a million people died every year from a dangerous disease.

In the late 1970s, WHO named smallpox as the first completely eradicated infection, thanks to worldwide vaccination. Since then, not a single case of the disease has been recorded.

cholera epidemics

Cholera is an intestinal infection that leads to a sharp loss of fluid - dehydration. The spread of the disease occurs through contaminated water or food.

The Ganges River in India natural hearth cholera. Humid and warm climate, non-observance of sanitary and hygienic standards, a large number of inhabitants support its existence. The first cholera pandemic began in India. From 1817 to 1926 There have been six cholera pandemics. They took over the countries South-East Asia, Africa, Europe and America. In Russia, the cholera epidemic of 1830 was the first large-scale intestinal infection. The pathogen was brought into our country from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey.

Despite the fact that there is currently an etiotropic treatment for cholera ( antibacterial drugs), mortality is 5-10%, primarily due to dehydration.

Epidemic typhus - infectious disease, which is accompanied by damage to the central nervous system (central nervous system), vascular bed, as well as the appearance of a specific rash.

The source of infection is an infected person whose blood contains the pathogen. The transmission mechanism is transmissive - through carriers - head and body lice. Insects get the infection by sucking blood and after 5 days are able to spread it further. The person begins to mechanically scratch the bite site and thereby rubs lice excrement into the wound, which contributes to infection.

Typhus is called the disease of wars and natural disasters. The fact is that unsanitary conditions contribute to the spread of the epidemic - the inability to comply with sanitary and hygienic rules.

Between 1805 and 1814 A typhus epidemic engulfed the whole of Europe. The French army was in a difficult situation on the way of retreat from Russia. The soldiers were left in different cities (including Smolensk and Vilna), which led to the spread of an infectious disease.

The fight against epidemics of typhus should begin with the destruction of lice, in other words, disinfestation. The spread of the disease is also stopped by the introduction of quarantine - isolation of patients.

HIV infection is a sluggish disease with fatal, the cause of which is the human immunodeficiency virus. It affects the cellular link of the immune system - T-helpers (CD4), as a result of which it develops secondary immunodeficiency. The body becomes virtually defenseless against a variety of microbes. Infectious diseases occur, including those uncharacteristic for people with a normally functioning immune system.

HIV epidemic in the world

About the epidemic HIV infection became known to the whole world in the late 1970s, when the disease spread throughout Africa. In Europe, it was possible to keep the situation under control until the end of the 1990s, when total number infected has almost tripled.

According to the WHO, in 2015, 36.7 million HIV-infected patients were registered in the world. In total, more than 70 million people have been infected since the beginning of the epidemic.

According to statistics, the region with the highest mortality from HIV infection is Africa. Among the regions with the most high rates also includes: Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Therapy of HIV infection currently remains a difficult task. Until now, there is no medicine that can kill the virus in the human body. AIDS deaths as last stage disease, 100%. The HIV epidemic has been sustained for many years precisely because of this fact.

According to the UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) strategy, it is possible to stop the HIV epidemic by 2030. An important role is given to informing the population about preventive measures and methods of treatment.

The first case of HIV infection in the Soviet Union was registered in 1986. In the early 1990s, the collapse of the country led to disruption of the epidemiological service and actually contributed to the development of the HIV epidemic in Russia.

According to the results of 2015 presented by UNAIDS, the HIV epidemic in Russia continues. The rate of increase in the incidence in our country is ahead of most other countries in the world, including the African continent.

The most tense situation in terms of HIV/AIDS incidence in Irkutsk region, where almost every second person out of a hundred has a diagnosis confirmed by special tests.

It is believed that the main reason for the deterioration of the situation in Russia is associated with a lack of preventive measures, as well as a low supply of infected people. antiretroviral therapy. According to the Ministry of Health, only 37% of patients who are under constant supervision receive the necessary medicines.

Another reason for the spread of the HIV epidemic in Russia is the increase in the number of injecting drug users. After all, it is the use of intravenous drugs with non-sterile syringes that is the main route of transmission of an infectious disease.

The HIV epidemic in Russia can be stopped if promotion of preventive measures is strengthened, as well as improved provision of patients with antiretroviral therapy.

HIV and AIDS - what's the difference?

The terms HIV epidemic and AIDS epidemic are often used interchangeably. However, the difference between these terms is huge. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an infection that affects the cells of the immune system, and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a consequence of its effect on the human body.

Currently, there is no drug that can destroy HIV, and therefore, from the moment of infection, it is constantly present in the human body. In most cases, the disease begins unnoticed. Only after the incubation period, when the immune system begins to fight the virus, do the first signs of HIV infection appear. Swollen lymph nodes, discomfort and pain in the throat when swallowing, diarrhea and fever - non-specific symptoms, which are often taken as colds. When the first symptoms fade away, a period of "calm" begins. It can last up to 15 years. At this time, the virus multiplies and gradually kills the cells of the immune system, which leads to a pronounced decrease in immunity - the stage of AIDS. Severe viral and bacterial infections, fungal diseases, oncology - all this accompanies immunodeficiency acquired in the outcome of HIV.

Influenza is an infectious disease that occurs with severe symptoms of intoxication (fever, headache, aching muscles and joints) and is accompanied by damage to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

The causative agents of influenza are types A, B, C. At the same time, type A influenza causes the most severe forms diseases.

The influenza virus epidemic remains one of the most actual problems all over the world, including Russia. The level of morbidity in this case depends both on the properties of the virus itself (virulence - the ability to cause disease), and on the strength of the population's immunity.

Recent influenza epidemics have the following features:

• Simultaneous circulation of different influenza A and B serotypes;
• Simultaneous circulation of influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses.

"Bird flu"

Avian influenza (H5N1) is an influenza virus that causes an infectious disease in birds, but has the ability to be transmitted from them to humans.

The disease was first described in Italy in 1880. In the 21st century, the infection spread to European countries (Austria and Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), as well as to South and North America and Africa through migratory birds. Virus in Russia bird flu discovered in 2005.

A person becomes infected with the virus from domestic waterfowl through droplets of their saliva or mucus. Likely also contact way infections.

The bird flu virus is dangerous to humans, because the pathogen is extremely contagious and causes serious damage to the respiratory tract (pneumonia), liver and kidneys. It is resistant to the antiviral drug Remantadin, which complicates the treatment of the disease.

Swine flu (H1N1) is an infectious disease that affects Airways and is accompanied by fever.

At the end of the last century, the swine flu virus began to interact with bird and human flu, in other words, it mutated. As a result, the currently well-known subtype has emerged.

The first human outbreaks of swine flu were reported in Mexico in February 2009. Despite the fact that cases of infection have been recorded in at least 13 countries of the world, the continent remains the most dangerous North America where the first influenza epidemic took place.

Treatment and prevention of swine flu is difficult. Until now, no effective vaccine has been developed, and standard antiviral drugs do not guarantee a cure. The reason for this is the ability of the virus to mutate.

Influenza epidemic in Russia 2016-2017

The influenza virus epidemic in Russia began at the end of 2016 and continued into early 2017. In accordance with forecasts, the Hong Kong influenza (H3N2) dominates in the structure of morbidity, the pandemic of which swept across the globe in 1968-69.

Influenza symptoms are characterized by severe intoxication:

• Fever above 39°C;
• Strong headache;
• Aches in muscles and joints;
• Chills;
• Pain, pain in the eyes, lacrimation;
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• Dry cough.

The risk group for the development of the disease includes: children, the elderly, pregnant women, as well as people suffering from chronic diseases.

During influenza season, if symptoms occur respiratory disease needed in as soon as possible see a doctor, because treatment should begin on the first day of illness. The most effective antiviral drugs that act directly on the virus (oseltamivir).

Symptomatic treatment is equally important. With an increase in body temperature above 38.5 ° C, the use of antipyretics is indicated. For sore throat relief antiseptic solutions for rinsing, lozenges and lozenges, sprays. To reduce dry cough - antitussive syrups and tablets.

To prevent the influenza epidemic in anticipation of the season, routine vaccination- September October. Modern vaccines practically do not cause side effects, have a narrow list of contraindications, but contain strains of influenza viruses that will be relevant according to WHO (World Health Organization) forecasts.

Children's infectious diseases: diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, scarlet fever, chicken pox - spread easily and quickly among children, causing epidemics in children's institutions. To stop the disease, restrictive measures are being taken, which include quarantine and isolation of patients.

To prevent the occurrence of epidemics of childhood infections, vaccination is carried out according to national calendar vaccination. It is this preventive measure that is the most effective and safe. In countries where vaccination coverage for children and adults reaches 90%, outbreaks of childhood infectious diseases are unlikely.

measles epidemic

From year to year, the incidence of measles in Russia is increasing. If earlier episodes of the disease were quite rare and mainly due to imported cases, now they are associated with the lack of immunity in the population against this infection. The first reports of a measles epidemic came from St. Petersburg. AT further disease spread to other regions of the country.

According to experts, the reason for the emergence of a childhood infection in Russia (the measles epidemic) is the refusal of many parents to carry out vaccinations or anti-vaccination. The anti-vaccination movement disputes the safety of vaccination, especially mass vaccination. However, according to the conclusion of WHO (World Health Organization) experts, most of their arguments are not supported by facts.

The measles epidemic that broke out in Ireland in 1999-2000 is a prime example of the increased incidence due to non-vaccination. At that time, the immunization rate in the country was below 80%, and in North Dublin it was 60%.

Despite the fact that modern medicine has made great strides in the treatment of many diseases, there is still no etiotropic therapy for childhood infections. Complications of measles, especially those related to the work of the central nervous system (central nervous system), respiratory tract and digestive system are severe and can cause death. In order to prevent the spread of the measles epidemic in Russia, vaccination is indicated for all persons under 35 years of age.

Epidemics in the modern world

It would seem that science has reached such heights in the modern world that epidemics of infectious diseases are simply impossible. However, it is not. Viruses and bacteria mutate and adapt to changing conditions in order to survive. New viruses resistant to antiviral drugs, long known to be no longer sensitive to antibiotics - create real threat. In addition, military conflicts, humanitarian disasters, the impossibility of complying sanitary norms provoke the onset of epidemics, primarily intestinal infections.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus epidemic began in the summer of 2014 in Central Africa. Then, in a short period of time, a dangerous infectious disease became known to the whole world.

The virus is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person through direct contact with blood or other biological fluids. In African countries, the spread of the epidemic is facilitated by the customs of the inhabitants. They deliberately hide the sick from doctors, and the dead are secretly buried, after washing the body. Graves are usually dug near settlements, next to running water.

The Ebola virus is characterized by the appearance of symptoms of intoxication (fever, pain in the muscles and joints, sore throat) and a violation of the blood clotting process - a tendency to bleed. In many cases, the disease is also manifested by damage to the kidneys and liver.

The end of the Ebola virus epidemic was recorded in December 2015. Although cases of the disease are still recorded in African countries.

Tuberculosis epidemic

Tuberculosis has been known since ancient times. Even the remains of Egyptian mummies retained signs of this infectious disease. However, the pathogen itself was discovered in 1882 by the German scientist Robert Koch. In honor of him, the microbe was named Koch's wand.

Tuberculosis is transmitted by airborne droplets. That is why the lungs are primarily affected, although bacteria are able to multiply in other organs - bones, skin, kidneys. With any localization of the process, the body as a whole suffers.

If a person becomes infected with the tuberculosis bacterium, this does not mean the development of the disease. The microbe can stay in the body for many years and not manifest itself, but when the immune system is weakened, it is activated.

The risk group for developing tuberculosis includes children, pregnant women and women in labor, as well as people suffering from chronic diseases. Children's body short contact with the source of infection is enough to get sick. That is why vaccination is carried out in the first days of a baby's life.

Tuberculosis is classified as an epidemic in Russia, which is gaining momentum. It is due to several factors: the resistance of bacteria to many medicines and unfavorable living conditions.

Tuberculosis is considered social diseases. It affects people living in poverty. In our country, the development of the epidemic is facilitated by the deterioration in the standard of living of the population, the emergence of homeless people and refugees. In addition, for various reasons, the inhabitants of Russia neglect preventive measures, which include annual fluorography. Only 30-40% of the population are screened regularly.

Epidemic of venereal diseases

According to the international classification of diseases, there are 9 infections that are predominantly transmitted sexually ( venereal diseases). These include: syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas infection, genital herpes, papillomavirus infection and 3 other infectious diseases that are common in tropical countries and are not found in Russia.

In 1993, a strict system of clinical examination and registration of patients ceased to work, and migration of the population began. This was the reason for the start of an epidemic of STIs (infections that are predominantly sexually transmitted) in Russia.

Fighting the epidemic sexually transmitted diseases – difficult task. First of all, because many microbes no longer respond to antibacterial drugs, they become resistant to them. For example, gonococcus, the infection that causes gonorrhea, is no longer sensitive to penicillin. The fact is that doctors of different specialties - dermatologists, gynecologists, urologists use their own treatment regimens, which include the appointment of the most different antibiotics. This approach leads to the mutation of the microbe and the loss of sensitivity to drugs.

The spread of the epidemic can be stopped with the help of preventive measures. First of all, it is educational work among the population. Until people realize the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, they do not attach due importance to them. However, some sexually transmitted diseases (for example, genital herpes) remain forever in the human body and can be activated every month, causing suffering. Other infections can cause infertility or abortion.

To exit The Division, we tell how humanity fought three terrible epidemics

Deserted snow-covered streets, frozen cars and closed shops. There is no food and medicine, rescue services and police do not work, the city is divided among gangs. This is how New York appears before us in an online game. Tom Clancy's The Division.

Nothing extraordinary happened to the city - “just” an outbreak of smallpox, which wiped out most the population of the whole city. In the history of mankind, this has happened many times - and today we will talk about the most terrible epidemics that claimed tens and hundreds of millions of lives.

Spanish guest. Influenza epidemic in 1918-1919

Probably, each of us is familiar with the flu - this disease comes "to visit" every winter, migrating from the southern hemisphere to the northern one. And every visit ends in an epidemic: the flu virus mutates so quickly that a year later, the human immune system has to re-learn how to cope with the disease.

An "ordinary" influenza epidemic kills several hundred thousand people, and its victims are usually already weakened people - children and the elderly, pregnant women, and those who are already suffering from serious illnesses. But in 1918, humanity was faced with the flu, which killed the young and completely healthy people- moreover, he killed by the millions, mowing whole small towns.

Despite the name, the "Spanish flu" probably originated at the very beginning of 1918 in China, from where it entered the United States. On March 11, at the base at Fort Riley, the virus infected more than 500 soldiers preparing to take part in the First World War. Everything quickly became easier for them and the unit went on ships to Europe.

So the "Spaniard" got into an almost perfect place. Millions of soldiers were in the trenches, where basic hygiene rules were not observed and where health care. There were also not enough doctors and medicines in the rear - all the best went to the front. By sea, iron and highways convoys rushed, which, along with military cargo, also delivered a peddler of the disease.

By the end of April, the flu swept through France, from where it spread throughout Europe in a little over two months. Because of the war, newspapers were forbidden by governments to whip up a panic, so the epidemic was only spoken aloud when the disease reached neutral Spain - hence the name. By the end of the summer, the virus reached North Africa and India, and then subsided.

At the end of August, the "Spaniard" moved back - it hit part of Africa, returned to Europe, crossed over to the United States by ship, and by winter covered almost the whole world, except for Madagascar, Australia and New Caledonia. And this time the virus began to kill. The rate of development of the disease frightened even doctors who had seen a lot: in a matter of hours, the temperature rose to forty degrees, pains began in the head and muscles, and then the disease reached the lungs, causing severe pneumonia. Already on the second or third day, some died from cardiac arrest, which could not support an upset organism. Others held out for up to two weeks, dying already due to pneumonia.

Eyewitnesses of the "Spaniard" describe a picture that the scripts of many disaster films can envy. In India, small towns turned into ghosts, where the entire population died. In Great Britain, at the height of the war, many factories stood up, and in Denmark and Sweden, the telegraph and telephone stopped working for a while - simply because there was no one to work. Worked with failures railways- the drivers of some trains died on the way.

Attempts to create a vaccine were unsuccessful, and there were no funds to support the patient, weakening the symptoms of the infection and allowing the body to cope with the virus on its own. The society tried to defend itself with organizational measures: all mass events were canceled, shops began to trade “through the window”, into which the client pushed money and received goods, and in small American towns a random passerby could be shot if it seemed to a patrol of conscious citizens that he looked like on the patient.

The Spanish flu epidemic lasted until the end of 1919, and its third wave did not touch only the Brazilian island of Marajo at the mouth of the Amazon River. The virus infected more than a quarter of the world's population, and according to various estimates, the death rate ranged from 50 to 100 million - that is, 2.5-5% of the entire population of the planet at that time.

Defeated monster. Smallpox

Smallpox, which caused the events of The Division, is now absent from nature - this is the first disease completely defeated by man. For the first time, smallpox epidemics were described in detail in the Middle East - in the 4th century, the disease swept through China, then appeared in Korea, and in 737 the epidemic shook Japan, where, according to some sources, up to a third of the population died. Then the virus began to penetrate into Europe.

Smallpox disfigures its carrier in a matter of days, covering the body with many ulcers. In this case, you can become infected not only by airborne droplets, but also through clothes, bedding, dishes, on which the pathogen got from ulcers. In medieval Europe, smallpox at some point became an almost constant companion of man. Some doctors argued that everyone should get sick with it, and the police indicated the absence of traces of smallpox as a special sign when searching for a suspect. Every eighth infected person died of smallpox, and among children the mortality rate reached 30%. In the “quiet” years, the disease claimed from 800 thousand to one and a half million lives, while not sparing those who recovered - in addition to the scars from ulcers that remained for life, the infection often led to blindness.

Even worse was the smallpox epidemic in America, where the virus came with the colonialists. If the immunity of Europeans was at least somehow familiar with the disease, then for the Indians the new virus turned out to be a deadly surprise - in some tribes, up to 80-90% of those infected died from smallpox. In fact, the Europeans used a kind of biological weapon - smallpox, as well as other diseases like malaria, typhoid and measles, went ahead of the conquerors, destroying entire villages and weakening the Indians. In the developed Inca empire, smallpox killed at least 200,000 of its six million population, weakening the empire enough for the Spanish to conquer it with a small force.

The first attempts to treat smallpox were made in India and China as early as the 8th-10th centuries - doctors looked for a patient who had smallpox in a mild form, and then infected healthy people with a “weakened” virus. In Europe, this method was tested at the beginning of the 18th century, but the results were controversial - there was a small percentage of people whom the vaccine, on the contrary, infected and even killed. They became carriers of the disease, so that in some cases the treatment itself led to outbreaks of the epidemic.

The real vaccine was discovered at the end of the same century, when the English physician Edward Jenner began to vaccinate patients with the cowpox vaccine. This virus was harmless to humans, but caused immunity from "real" smallpox. The medicine turned out to be relatively cheap to manufacture and use, becoming popular in Europe. But the virus was not going to give up without a fight. The vaccine often turned out to be of poor quality, plus they did not immediately learn how to re-vaccinate after several decades. Last serious blow smallpox struck in 1871-1873, when mortality in Europe rose to the same level as a century earlier.

By the second half of the 20th century, smallpox had been forced out of developed countries. They continued to get sick only in Asia, Africa and South America, from where the virus regularly tried to break back. For the ultimate victory in 1967, the World Health Organization launched an unprecedented $1.2 billion (in 2010 dollars) program to vaccinate at least 80% of the population in troubled countries, the level considered sufficient to stop the spread of the virus.

The program dragged on for almost ten years, but ended in success - the last smallpox patient was registered in 1977 in Somalia. To date, smallpox does not exist in nature - samples of the virus are stored in only two laboratories in the United States and Russia.

Black killer. Plague epidemic of 1346-1353

Since 1312, a small glacial period- The temperature dropped sharply, and rain and frost destroyed crop after crop, causing a terrible famine in Europe. Well, in 1346 another misfortune came - terrible disease. The skin of those who caught the infection began to become covered with "buboes" - inflamed and swollen lymph nodes to a huge size. The patients fought in a terrible fever, and many coughed up blood - this meant that the disease had reached the lungs. The chances of recovery were minimal - according to modern estimates, the mortality rate was more than 90%.

Later, historians will call this disease the "Black Death" - probably because of the number of deaths (the word "black" was replaced by "many people" in translation). In fact we are talking about the plague known to many.

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To make it clearer, Greek word"epidemic" is translated as "general disease among the people." An epidemic cannot be considered an outbreak of a disease that has spread throughout the country, and not in individual regions. Fortunately, advances in medicine have reduced the risk of epidemics and pandemics to a minimum. Among the current epidemics, the influenza and SARS epidemics are most common, you can rarely hear about the plague epidemic, as doctors are actively implementing measures to protect against diseases among the population.

The worst epidemics in history

Epidemics in the history of mankind have been encountered since ancient times. Diseases mowed down entire cities, on the streets lay the corpses of people who died from diseases. Medicine had so much low level development that could not withstand outbreaks of plague, malaria or cholera, create desired level security. Let's get acquainted with the most terrible epidemics that are written in black pages in the history of mankind.

In 541-542 BC. bubonic plague broke out in the Byzantine Empire. In its consequences, it was later compared with a wave black death in Europe, when every third European died from the disease. At the same time, Byzantium became part of a general pandemic that swept the whole world - were affected North Africa and America, Asia and Europe. For 200 years, the disease has raged in these areas of the globe. Calculate at least the approximate number of dead historians can not yet.

The segment in world history from 1665 to 1666 will be remembered by the British as the Great Plague of London. About 100 thousand people died - this is one fifth of the population of the entire city. The bubonic plague, as it was later established, broke out due to unsanitary conditions. In terms of its consequences, the epidemic can be compared with the Black Death, which broke out from 1347 to 1353 - then more than 25 million people died.

The Black Death, also called the Great or Bubonic Plague, is the worst plague in world history. The pandemic began in the mid-1320s in Asia and spread throughout the world within a few years, largely facilitated by merchants and soldiers. In Europe, the Black Death began its procession, hitting the Crimea in 1340. Only among Europeans, about 30 million people died from the Black Death. With each generation, the plague returned until the early eighteenth century.

Another one tragic story, this time in the domestic chronicle, occurred at the end of 1770 in Moscow, when an epidemic of the plague broke out. It all started with a few cases of illness, and ended tragically. The Russian authorities failed to cope with a dangerous disease - instead of competent measures, the houses of those families where the patient was located were burned, closed public baths to avoid the spread of lice.

On September 17, 1771, the Plague Riot broke out - only after it did the authorities undertake to ensure the fight against the plague.

Plague - hello from the Middle Ages

Epidemics of the Middle Ages are associated with mass plague diseases. The danger was that the plague chronicle of the epidemic of which is described above did not succumb medical treatment- the practical level of doctors was at a low level. In 1998, it was established that the plague bacillus was the cause of the Black Death, according to data for 2013, 2014, there were no dangerous outbreaks of the disease. Among the causes of the terrible epidemic, which claimed the lives of a total of 60 million people, are:

• environmental factor - abrupt change cold warm climate,
• raging civil wars and other military conflicts,
• poverty and vagrancy of the population,
• low level or complete absence personal hygiene, violation of sanitary safety measures,
• terrible sanitary condition cities,
• a huge number of rats that spread the disease.

Characteristics of the plague epidemic

Least, main danger any epidemic - the rapid spread of the disease and a large number of deaths. The plague occurs exclusively in severe form, its distributors can be lice, rats, fleas and even cats. The most common plague is bubonic and pneumonic. Now the development of medicine makes it possible to prevent death from the plague in 95% of cases, whereas in the past almost every case ended lethal outcome. Not so long ago, by historical standards, the plague raged on Far East- 100 thousand people became victims of the epidemic.

According to 2015 data, the number of plague cases annually is about 2.5 thousand people. Unfortunately, there is no trend towards disappearance or decrease in the level of the disease. The plague has not appeared in Russia since 1979. Modern plague outbreaks were registered in 2013 and 2014 in Madagascar - 79 people died.

Influenza - help and symptoms

Until now, the influenza epidemic takes the lives of 250 to 500 thousand people every year, according to data for 2013-2014. Mostly, the influenza virus is fatal to the elderly, over 65 years of age. In many countries, including Russia, there are preventive actions to prevent influenza epidemics. At the same time, the virus is relatively young - it was isolated in a separate group in the 30s of the twentieth century, before that the Spanish flu raged in Europe.

In history, the Spanish flu is considered the worst epidemic. It happened in 1918-1919, a wave of diseases swept around the world, as a result, 550 million people were infected, of which 100 million people died. The flu epidemic owes its origin to the First World War, and at the same time managed to bypass the war in terms of the number of victims. The Spaniard was characterized for the patient by a blue complexion, a bloody cough.

Only in the first weeks of distribution, the Spaniard killed 25 million people.

The emergence of the measles epidemic

A measles epidemic is an outbreak of a disease that is the leading cause of death in infants. Measles is also difficult for adults to tolerate. Only in 2011 the victims of this insidious disease 158 thousand people became. Most of them are children under the age of 5. Measles is dangerous because it is spread by airborne droplets, while the sick person also becomes contagious, and the people around him cannot think about safety.

Measles in adults can appear if a person in childhood was not vaccinated or did not have it. Then the body develops immunity against measles. Adults with measles feel hard - the disease is accompanied by pneumonia and other complications. It is especially dangerous to catch measles for people with immunodeficiency - death for such patients is almost inevitable. AT different countries measles epidemic in the world occurred in 2013 and 2014.

Historical chronicles contain information about numerous victims who died from deadly diseases. In this article, we will talk about the most terrible epidemics known to mankind.

Notable influenza epidemics

spanish flu

Most governments took steps to cover up the extent of the disaster. Reliable and objective news about the epidemic was only in Spain, so subsequently the disease became known as "Spanish flu". This influenza strain was later named H1N1.

Bird flu

Researchers are not yet talking about an epidemic of bird flu. However, they also do not deny the danger of its occurrence, since humans do not have immunity from mutated viruses.

Swine flu

This type of influenza was assigned the 6th, the highest, degree of threat. However, there were many skeptics in the world who reacted to the “epidemic” with suspicion. As an assumption, a version of collusion was put forward. pharmaceutical companies with the World Health Organization.

During the verification of this fact, the investigating authorities found that some of the WHO experts responsible for declaring a pandemic received money from pharmaceutical concerns.

Known epidemics of terrible diseases

Bubonic Plague or Black Death

According to historians, the Black Death claimed the lives of between 75 and 200 million people. Over 100 years of hearths bubonic plague arose in different parts European continent, sowing death and ruin. The last outbreak of this epidemic was recorded in the 1600s in London.

Plague of Justinian

Severe consequences this pandemic had for the whole of Europe. However, the greatest losses were suffered by the once great Byzantine Empire, which was never able to recover from such a blow and soon fell into decay.

smallpox

It is believed that the tribes, weakened by the disease, allowed themselves to be conquered by the Spanish troops. Also, smallpox did not spare Europe. A particularly violent outbreak in the 18th century claimed the lives of 60 million people.

On May 14, 1796, the English surgeon Edward Jenner inoculated an 8-year-old boy against smallpox, which gave positive result. The symptoms of the disease began to subside, but scars remained in place of the former ulcers. The last case of smallpox was reported on October 26, 1977 in Marka, Somalia.

Seven pandemics of cholera

Typhus

The worst epidemic in the world today

The mortality rate from this fever, according to WHO, reaches 90%, and doctors do not have effective medicine against the virus. In West Africa, more than 2,700 people have died from this disease, while the epidemic continues to spread around the world, covering states previously untouched by this virus.

According to the site, some diseases are not contagious, but they are no less dangerous for that. We present a list of the rarest diseases in the world.
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The world regularly experiences outbreaks of plague, cholera, Ebola, and various new types of diseases like MERS. In Madagascar, for example, plague epidemics occur almost every year, which claim dozens of lives. The cholera epidemic in Haiti in 2010 killed 4.5 thousand people. The latest Ebola epidemic accounted for over 11,000 lives. The current MERS epidemic in South Korea has already killed nine people.

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus outbreak in South Korea is the largest outbreak of the disease outside the Middle East. It is known about 108 cases of infection and nine deaths. More than 2.5 thousand people have been quarantined, and more than 2 thousand schools have been closed.

MERS was first discovered in Saudi Arabia. Children and the elderly are at risk - they usually suffer from weakened immunity. One of the victims of the virus was an 80-year-old man. There are teenagers among the patients.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MERS affects the respiratory system - the lungs and airways. Patients suffer from high fever and cough. Then it becomes difficult for them to breathe. In some cases, MERS leads to diarrhea and nausea. The illness can lead to severe pneumonia and kidney failure. On average, every third or fourth out of ten patients die. However, the disease can be mild or asymptomatic.

The virus was first detected in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. True, it later became known that a resident of Jordan had previously been ill with the virus. AT South Korea MERS was brought in by a local resident who returned from the Middle East, writes The Wall Street Journal. His illness started with a mild cough.

Most likely, the virus is transmitted through the secretions of sick people, for example, during a cough. However, the route of transmission of the infection is still unknown. The disease is transmitted mainly through fairly close contact, for example, if you live with a sick person. Hospitals are especially vulnerable - it is easy to get infected here.

This is far from the only epidemic that has occurred in last years. The most famous epidemic was the Ebola outbreak, but over the past few years, humanity has also suffered from outbreaks of plague, cholera, antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis and other diseases.

Ebola

Last year, the world was hit by one of the largest outbreaks of Ebola. The epidemic has ceased to be actively discussed in the press, but it continues: in Africa, people still fall ill with a fever. Fever outbreaks occur almost annually, but rarely spread outside of Africa. True, this time the cases were among residents of Europe and the United States.

As of June 8 this year, this outbreak has killed more than 11,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

According to many experts and politicians, the latest Ebola outbreak showed that world system health care is simply not up to a global pandemic. Ebola turned out to be not so contagious: the virus is not transmitted through the air. If a new, more contagious disease appears, it will be almost impossible to contain it.

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