Lessons Learned from a Global History of Pandemics

PANDEMIC: the term making headlines across the world, instilling fear in many, and urging scientists across the world to unite and find a cure. For as long as the global population has exploited freedom of travel, so too have infectious diseases spread. Outbreaks have been nearly constant since the dawn of mankind; however, not all escalate to global levels. There have been many pandemics in history, the most recent being COVID-19 declared as such by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12th, 2020.1 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our everyday lives, it is important to look back in history and reflect on what previous pandemics have taught us.