List of epidemics This is a list of the biggest known epidemics (including pandemics) caused by an infectious disease. Widespread non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer are not included. An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infections, an attack rate in excess of 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks is considered an epidemic.[1] 17th-century German "plague panel" depicting the triumph of death. Panels of this kind were placed on the walls of houses to warn against the plague. A plague epidemic raged in Augsburg, Bavaria between 1632 and 1635 Emergency hospital during Spanish Influenza epidemic, Camp Funston, Kansas (1918-20) Death toll Event Date Location Disease Ref. (estimate) Babylon, or Babirus of the Persians, Sanskrit scholars found Influenza 1200 BC Central Asia, records of a disease Unknown [2] epidemic Mesopotamia resembling the Flu and Southern Asia Unknown, possibly Plague of 429–426 Greece, Libya, typhus, typhoid fever or 75,000–100,000 [3][4][5][6] Athens BC Egypt, Ethiopia viral hemorrhagic fever Greece 412 BC (Northern Unknown, possibly 412 BC Unknown [7] epidemic Greece, Roman influenza Republic) 165–180 Unknown, possibly Antonine Plague (possibly Roman Empire 5–10 million [8] smallpox up to 190) Plague of Unknown, possibly 250–266 Europe 1 million+ [9][10] Cyprian smallpox 25–100 million (40– Plague of Europe and Bubonic plague (beginning 541–542 50% of population [11][12][13] Justinian West Asia of First plague pandemic) of Europe) Rome, Roman Plague Bubonic plague (part of 590 Byzantine Unknown [14] of 590 First plague pandemic) Empire Plague of Bubonic plague (part of 627–628 Mesopotamia Unknown [15] Sheroe First plague pandemic) Bubonic plague (part of Plague of 664 664–689 British Isles Unknown [16] First plague pandemic) Byzantine Plague of 698– Empire, West Bubonic plague (part of 698–701 Unknown [17] 701 Asia, Syria, First plague pandemic) Mesopotamia 735–737 2 million (approx. Japanese 735–737 Japan Smallpox 1⁄ of Japanese [18][19] smallpox 3 epidemic population) Byzantine Plague of 746– Bubonic plague (part of 746–747 Empire, West Unknown [20] 747 First plague pandemic) Asia, Africa Bubonic plague Black Death Europe, Asia 75–200 million (10– (start of the 1346–1353 and North 60% of European [21] Second plague Africa Yersinia pestis population) pandemic) bacterium Britain Sweating (England) and Unknown, possibly an sickness 1485–1551 later unknown species of 10,000+ [22] (multiple continental hantavirus outbreaks) Europe 1489 Spain 1489 Spain Typhus 17,000 [23] typhus epidemic Unknown, around 1510 influenza Asia, North 1510 Influenza 1% of those [24] pandemic Africa, Europe infected 1520 Mexico 5–8 million (40% of smallpox 1519–1520 Mexico Smallpox [25] population) epidemic Cocoliztli Possibly Salmonella 5–15 million (80% Epidemic of 1545–1548 Mexico [26][27][28][29] enterica of population) 1545–1548 1561 Chile Unknown (20-25% smallpox 1561–1562 Chile Smallpox of native [30] epidemic population) 1563 London London, 1563–1564 Bubonic plague 20,100+ [31] plague England Cocoliztli Possibly Salmonella 2–2.5 million (50% epidemic of 1576–1580 Mexico [26][27][28][29] enterica of population) 1576 1582 Tenerife 1582–1583 Tenerife, Spain Bubonic plague 5,000–9,000 [32] plague epidemic 1592–1596 Seneca nation, Seneca nation 1592–1596 United States Measles Unknown [33] measles and Canada epidemic 1592–93 Malta 1592–1593 Malta Bubonic plague 3,000 [34] plague epidemic 1592–93 London London, 1592–1593 Bubonic plague 19,900+ [35] plague England 1596–1602 Spain plague 1596–1602 Spain Bubonic plague 600,000–700,000 [36] epidemic 1600–1650 South America 1600–1650 South America Malaria Unknown [37] malaria epidemic 1603 London London, 1603 Bubonic plague 40,000 [38][39][40] plague epidemic England 1609 Egyptian 1609 Egypt Bubonic plague 1 million plague epidemic Unknown, possibly leptospirosis with Weil Southern New syndrome. Classic 1616 New England, explanations include Unknown England United States, yellow fever, bubonic 1616–1620 (estimated 30–90% [41][42] infections especially the plague, influenza, of population) epidemic Wampanoag smallpox, chickenpox, people typhus, and syndemic infection of hepatitis B and hepatitis D 1629–1631 1629–1631 Italy Bubonic plague 280,000 [43][44] Italian plague 1632–1635 1632–1635 Augsburg, Bubonic plague 13,712 [45] Augsburg Germany plague epidemic Massachusetts Massachusetts Bay Colony, smallpox 1633–1634 Smallpox 1,000 [46] Thirteen epidemic Colonies 1634–1640 Wyandot Wyandot people people, United 1634–1640 Smallpox and Influenza 15,000–25,000 [47] epidemic of States and infections Canada London and 1637 London 1636–1637 Westminster, Bubonic plague 10,400 [48] plague epidemic England 1641–1644 China plague 1641–1644 China Bubonic plague Unknown [49] epidemic Great Plague of 1647–1652 Spain Bubonic plague 500,000 [50] Seville 1648 Central Central America yellow 1648 Yellow fever Unknown [51] America fever epidemic Naples Plague 1656 Italy Bubonic plague 1,250,000 [52] 1663–1664 Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1663–1664 Bubonic plague 24,148 [53] Netherlands plague epidemic Great Plague of 1665–1666 England Bubonic plague 100,000 [54][55] London 1668 France 1668 France Bubonic plague 40,000 [56] plague 1675–76 Malta 1675–1676 Malta Bubonic plague 11,300 [57] plague epidemic 1676–1685 1676–1685 Spain Bubonic plague Unknown [58] Spain plague 1677–1678 Massachusetts Boston 1677–1678 Bay Colony, Smallpox 750–1000 [59] smallpox United States epidemic Great Plague of 1679 Vienna, Austria Bubonic plague 76,000 [60] Vienna 1681 Prague Prague, Czech 1681 Bubonic plague 83,000 [61] plague epidemic Kingdom 1687 South Unknown, possibly Africa Influenza 1687 South Africa Unknown [62] Influenza outbreak 1693 Boston Boston, United yellow fever 1693 Yellow fever 3,100+ [63] States epidemic 1699 Charleston Charleston and 520 (300 in and Philadelphia 1699 Philadelphia, Yellow fever Charleston, 220 in [64] yellow fever United States Philadelphia) epidemic 1702 New York 1702 New York City, Yellow fever 500 [65] City yellow United States fever epidemic 1702–1703 St. Lawrence Valley New France, 1702–1703 Smallpox 1,300 [66] smallpox Canada epidemic 1707–1709 Iceland 18,000+ (36% of 1707–1709 Iceland Smallpox [67] smallpox population) epidemic Great Northern Denmark, War plague 1710–1712 Sweden, Bubonic plague 164,000 [68][69] outbreak Lithuania 1713–1715 Thirteen North America Colonies and 1713–1715 Measles Unknown [70][71] measles New France, epidemic Canada Great Plague of 1720–1722 France Bubonic plague 100,000+ [72] Marseille 1721 Boston Massachusetts smallpox 1721–1722 Smallpox 844 [73] Bay Colony outbreak 1730 Cádiz yellow fever 1730 Cádiz, Spain Yellow fever 2,200 [74] epidemic 1732–1733 Thirteen Thirteen Colonies 1732–1733 Influenza Unknown [75] Colonies influenza epidemic 1733 New France New France, 1733 Smallpox Unknown [76] smallpox Canada epidemic New England, 1735–1741 New York, New Diphtheria 1735–1741 Diphtheria 20,000 [77] Jersey, United epidemic States Great Plague of 1738 Balkans Bubonic plague 50,000 [78] 1738 1738–1739 North Carolina North Carolina, 1738–1739 Smallpox 7,700–11,700 [79] smallpox United States epidemic 1739–1740 Thirteen Thirteen Colonies 1739–1740 Measles Unknown Colonies measles epidemic 1741 Cartagena Cartagena, yellow fever 1741 Yellow fever 20,000 [80] Colombia epidemic 1743 Sicily Messina, 1743 Bubonic plague 40,000–50,000 [81][82] plague epidemic Sicily, Italy 1747 Thirteen 1747 Thirteen Measles Unknown Colonies Colonies measles outbreak 1759 North America 1759 North America Measles Unknown [83] measles outbreak 1760 Charleston Charleston, smallpox 1760 Smallpox 730–940 [84][85] United States epidemic 1761 North America and North America, West Indies 1761 Influenza Unknown West Indies influenza epidemic 1762 Havana yellow fever 1762 Havana, Cuba Yellow fever 8,000 [80] epidemic 1763 Pittsburgh North America, area smallpox 1763 present-day Smallpox Unknown [86] outbreak Pittsburgh area Russian plague 1770–1772 Russia Bubonic plague 50,000 [87] of 1770–1772 1772 North America 1772 North America Measles Unknown measles epidemic 1772–1773 1772–1773 Persia Bubonic plague 2 million+ [88] Persian Plague 1775–1776 England 1775–1776 England Influenza Unknown [89] influenza outbreak 1775–1782 Pacific North American 1775–1782 Northwest, Smallpox 11,000+ [90][91] smallpox United States epidemic 1778 Spain dengue fever 1778 Spain Dengue fever Unknown [92] outbreak 1788 Pueblo Pueblo Indians, Indians 1788 Southwestern Smallpox Unknown [93] smallpox United States epidemic 1788 United States measles 1788 United States Measles Unknown epidemic 1789–1790 New New South Unknown (50–70% South Wales 1789–1790 Wales, Smallpox of native [94][95] smallpox Australia population) epidemic 1793 United States influenza Influenza and epidemic 1793 United States Unknown and typhus typhus epidemic 1793 1793 Philadelphia, Yellow fever 5,000+ Philadelphia United States [96] yellow fever epidemic 1800–1803 Spain yellow 1800–1803 Spain Yellow fever 60,000+ [97] fever epidemic 1801 Ottoman Empire and Ottoman 1801 Bubonic plague Unknown [98] Egypt bubonic Empire, Egypt plague epidemic 1802–1803 Saint-Domingue Saint- 1802–1803 Yellow fever 29,000–55,000 [99] yellow fever Domingue epidemic 1812 Egypt bubonic plague 1812 Egypt Bubonic plague Unknown epidemic 1812 Russia Typhus 1812 Russia Typhus 300,000 [23] epidemic 1812–19 Ottoman Ottoman plague