Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are a lot of people who have actually forgotten that human beings have triumphed over many infectious diseases that used to devastate many countries around the world. According to medical experts, millions of people have been saved every year from serious diseases due to various vaccines. 

Of course, thanks to some medical geniuses, certain infectious diseases have been eradicated, namely that they have disappeared forever while others are still controlled with appropriate medicine, and fortunately, we are about to do the same with the novel coronavirus that has wreaked havoc all over the world. 

However, believe it or not, the truth is that our history has been (and will always be) shaped by microbial catastrophes. In other words, our history reflects the struggle between people all over the world and these life threatening parasites. Thus, the difference between today’s world and the previous eras is that nowadays we are better able to deal with these serious diseases and the world has made immense progress against these microbes. For example, the infant mortality rate is lower today compared to any time in humanity’s history.

That being said, here are some horrible infectious diseases that humanity has triumphed over. Read on to find out more info!

Smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by a group of viruses, such as Variola major and Variola minor. Unfortunately, this infectious disease was responsible for increasing the infant mortality rate and according to experts at that time the risk of death after contract the virus was about 30%. The most common symptoms of this disease were fever, vomiting and sores all over the skin. 

Just like any other infectious disease, Smallpox was spread through direct contact between people and contaminated objects. People who were lucky enough to survive were left with severe scarring on their skin. 

However, in 1796, a British physician, Edward Jenner, found that people who suffered from cowpox when they were young weren’t prone to developing smallpox. Cowpox is also an infectious disease caused by a zoonotic virus, which means that it can be spread from animal to human. Thus, to test his hypothesis, Jenner injected an 8-year-old boy with cowpox and then exposed the child to smallpox. Fortunately, Jenner managed to create an effective vaccine against the smallpox disease. 

In 1959, the World Health Organization (WHO) planned to eradicate smallpox, so they distributed huge amounts of vaccines all over the world and in 1980 this disease was officially declared eradicated due to human intervention.

Rinderpest

Rinderpest, also known as cattle plague, was an infectious disease that severely affected cattle, buffaloes, antelopes, deer, giraffes and so on. As you can see, it wasn’t a disease that affected human beings, but if you look deeper into the situation, you will understand that it caused indirect deaths in humans, namely that the mortality rate increased due to starvation.

Studies have shown that in 1890, this disease killed about 90% of all cattle in Africa. The population was reduced by at least one-third due to starvation.

Luckily for people who needed to feed on these animals, Walter Plowright, a British scientist, developed an efficient vaccine to kill this virus, and in 1990, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization bought thousands of vaccines.

Polio

Poliomyelitis, usually shortened to polio, is an infectious disease that paralyzes people who contract the virus called poliovirus. According to medical experts, there are many people who fully recover, but in general, more than 5% of children and 30% of adults die. In fact, more than 70% of people who suffer from polio show no symptoms, while another 30% of people have mild symptoms such as headache, fever and sore throat. In some particular cases, polio leads to permanent disability, but most of the time paralysis is temporary. 

Jonas Salk is the inventor of the polio vaccine, but he refused to patent his discovery. He developed the polio vaccine in 1953 and wanted to stay anonymous because he wanted to help people, not be famous. Nevertheless, 24 years later when the vaccination was already mandatory, the United States officially declared that we had eradicated the polio disease.

Guinea Worm

Guinea worm disease (GWD), also known as Dracunculiasis is an infectious disease that affects a person who drinks water that contains fleas infected with guinea worm larvae. At first, people who suffer from this disease show no symptoms, but after a year the female worm starts to develop, causing a lot of symptoms. 

According to some statistics, there were about 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm disease in 1986 in South Asia, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists have developed some water purifiers to prevent the spread of this disease and it worked. For instance, in 2018, there were only 28 cases of dracunculiasis.

Yaws

Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints that can be easily transmitted through direct contact with an infected person. This disease is more common in children because they spend a lot of time playing together. 

In the first three months after contracting the virus, infected people will develop raspberry-like lesions on their faces. They will disappear after a few months but will reappear and even leave scars. In 1950, yaws became an issue in over 70 countries around the world, but it has been shown to be curable with a simple dose of the antibiotic azithromycin. Yaws has almost been eradicated, but medical experts have begun to focus more on smallpox and its effects, so in 2019 a few cases were reported in 15 countries.

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that reappeared in recent years because people haven’t continued to vaccinate against it. The most common symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and a red, flat rash that starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. 

That being said, this infectious disease spreads easily from person to person, especially through the coughing and sneezing from infected people. Even though it is considered a childhood illness, measles can affect people of all ages. Unfortunately, it seems that once you get infected, you can’t treat it with medication because there’s no treatment, but you can prevent it with a vaccine. 

Back in 1963, almost every kid in the United States developed measles before the age of 15. Unfortunately, there was an epidemic a few years later and more than 2.6 million people died every year from this disease. 

In addition, in 1954, Dr. Thomas C. Peebles of Harvard University developed a vaccine against measles. He named it the “Edmonston-Enders vaccine” after an 11 year old sick boy – David Edmonston – who volunteered to help Peebles with investigations and experiments. In recent years, measles cases have dropped significantly due to vaccination, and millions of people have been saved.

Malaria

Malaria is a widespread disease caused by a tiny parasite in the blood that is spread by mosquitoes and affects humans and animals. The most common symptoms of malaria include fever, tiredness, vomiting and headache. Of course, malaria can even cause death. 

According to medical experts, malaria is still present in many countries, but people have managed to control it. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of malaria deaths dropped by almost half, from about 840,000 a year to 440,000.

Tetanus

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is an infectious disease that affects your muscles, causing spasms. The symptoms occur in the jaw and then progress to the rest of your body. In general, they last a few minutes and can be extremely severe. Some people even suffered bone fractures because of the spasms. In some cases, tetanus can be fatal. 

The infectious bacteria called Clostridium tetani enters your body through an open wound and then release a toxic substance that usually causes paralysis and spasms. According to researchers, tetanus can’t be eradicated, but you can prevent it through vaccination. 

Statistics show that in 1990 more than 315,000 people died from this disease, but due to vaccination, the mortality rate dropped significantly in 2017 and only 30,000 deaths were reported.