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The Plague of Justinian appeared in Constantinople in 541 CE. The fatal infection was caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, more commonly known as the plague. The disease spread from Egypt across the Mediterranean Sea.  After Emperor Justinian conquered Egypt, he received grain as tribute from Egyptians, and the plague was spread via rats that infested the grain traveling to Constantinople. It quickly spread throughout the city and spilled over to Europe, Arabia, Asia, North Africa, killing more than 30 million people.

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The Plague that wreaked havoc in Constantinople never disappeared, and it returned after 800 years, in 1347. This time around, it was named the Black Death, and it spread across Europe rapidly. The pandemic ended four years later, in 1351, with a death toll of 200 million. At that time, the scientists were still not sure how contagion works. However, they were aware that it was related to the proximity between people. Therefore, a concept of quarantine appeared throughout European port cities, and to prevent the spread, sailors' newcomers were kept in isolation until proven healthy.

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At first, smallpox was an endemic spreading across Europe, Arabia, and Asia. It persisted for centuries, with three out of ten people dying from infection, while the rest were left with heavy scars. In the Old World, however, the mortality rate was relatively low when compared to the ruin it caused among indigenous peoples of the New World.   In the United States and Mexico, the native populations did not have any immunity to the virus. Consequently, tens of millions of people died from the infection when European explorers came in the 15th century. It is estimated that around 90 percent of the native population was completely wiped out.

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Soon after the terrors of WWI, the world was hit by a horrible influenza outbreak in 1918. The pandemic lasted until 1920, and it infected more than 500 million people – a third of the entire world population. In only two years, this fatal disease took the lives of 20-50 million people.  The flu pandemic of 1918 was different than past outbreaks of the disease when it comes to vulnerable groups. There was a significantly higher death rate among healthy young adults who had sound immune systems. On the other hand, children and the older population were mostly left unharmed.

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In 1976, the first case of HIV was identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the virus spread significantly around the world. Today, there are approximately 35 million people who live with HIV, with many cases in Sub-Saharan Africa – around 21 million.  Since 1981, the virus has killed over 36 million people globally. Fortunately, new treatments that have been developed made HIV a much more manageable condition, and many of those who test positive can experience a natural lifespan with proper treatment.

5 worst pandemic in history

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