Unit21 Human BiologyLesson3 Epidemics Explained Epidemics throughout history
With new health threat on the rise, James Madison looks at epidemics throughout history. Bacteria and viruses have been around since the beginning of life on Earth and many of today's diseases have existed as long as humans have. It's important to look at the spread of diseases throughout history to discover the causes and effects of epidemics. Epidemics are described in historical accounts as early as 430 BC and one of the earliest on record is Justinian's Plague. It happened about 500-550 as Roman Emperor Justinian was attempting to rebuild and acquire more land for the Roman Empire. It swept through North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.Scientists now think taht Justinian's Plague was actually a disease called bubonic plague. They estimate that between 25% and 50% of the area's population died from the disease and think that the epidemic was one of the key causes of the fall of the Roman Empire.
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