Bubonic Plague and COVID-19: which is worse?

In June 1348, people in Europe began reporting mysterious symptoms: headaches, aches, and nausea. This was followed by painful black lumps, or buboes, growing in the armpits and groin, which gave the disease its name; bubonic plague. The last stage was a high fever, and then death. 

Originating in Central Asia, soldiers and caravans had brought bubonic plague-Yersina pestis, a bacterium carried on fleas that lived on rats.- to ports on the Black Sea. 

The commercialised world of the Mediterranean ensured the plague's swift transfer on merchant ships to Italy and then across Europe. 

The sudden loss of at least a third of Europe's population didn't lead to an even redistribution of wealth for everyone else. 

According to John Hopkins University, since the coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019, more than 11 million people have been infected with the virus. 

There is not a set definition for a pandemic, but a virus is thought to become a pandemic when it becomes prevalent across the world. 

As far as we know, the Black Death originated in China, before spreading through the Middle East to Europe through trade routes in Italy. The plague spread to humans by vermin, like rats and mice.

Coronavirus is hitting our society the same way the bubonic plague hit Europe in 1665.

The pandemic originated in a foreign land and extended quickly through all the ports where infected passengers arrived-whether asymptomatic or not. There was no medical cure available to stop it and all the citizens were confined to their homes to avoid contagion. The army was deployed on the streets, exhausted doctors worked themselves to the bone, and thousands of victims whose bodies went without burial for days on.....and the economy ground to a halt....

If you read the Diary of Samuel Pepys, you will understand how life under the bubonic plague mirrored today's pandemic. There were no Zoom meetings, ventilators, or testing, but there were some striking resemblances in how people responded to the pandemic. 

Humans are social animals and thrive on interaction, so it is no surprise that so many have found social distancing during both pandemics, the Plague and Coronavirus, challenging. 

Millions don't have the permission to step out, without adequate food and social security. Stigmatisation, social ostracising and public shaming of those with or suspected of the disease has also been a common thread during all pandemics. 

Past pandemics have lessons for us embedded in their stories. It is up to us to listen carefully, analyse past mistakes and adopt measures that could work to our advantage. 

But the important question is, will we learn from the past or repeat the mistakes?