Coronavirus: Coincidence Or Natural Cycle? How Pandemics 'Cut' Human Population Every 100 Years

The novel coronavirus outbreak has now claimed more than 25,000 lives all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is now affecting almost 200 countries and territories with more than 5.5 Lakh people being tested positive for the virus. However, coronavirus is not only global pandemic that has threatened humanity like this. Incidently, such disease have been affecting human population on earth every 100 years. Since the times of bubonic plague, pandemics have threatened humanity cyclically.

Great Plague of Marseille 

About 300 years ago, the Great Plague of Marseille killed almost 100,000 people. According to Wikipedia, it was the last of the significant European outbreaks of bubonic plague. It arrived in the city of Marseille in 1720 and went on to kill 50,000 people in the city in the next two years and another 50,000 in surrounding provinces and towns.

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The First Cholera Pandemic

COVID-19 is not first pandemic to hit Indian shores. Almost 200 years ago came the first cholera pandemic (1817–1824). The pandemic, also known as the first Asiatic cholera pandemic or Asiatic cholera, began near Calcutta (now Kolkata) and spread throughout Southeast Asia to the Middle East, eastern Africa and the Mediterranean coast. While the death toll due to the pandemic is unclear, it seems to have been anywhere between 30000 to more than 1 crore.

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The Spanish Flu

The 1918 flu pandemic also knowns the Spanish flu hit humanity almost 100 years ago. The deadly influenza pandemic lasted from January 1918 to December 1920. According to reports, the Spanish flu infected 50 crore people at a time when the world population was around 200 crore.