The origin of the Black Death
It probably started in Central Asia, around 1338
History’s deadliest pandemic was the Black Death, an outbreak of plague that ravaged Europe, the Middle East and north Africa between 1346 and 1353. Where it struck, it killed up to 60% of the population. Even after this first, exceptionally lethal wave had passed, local plagues continued for about 500 years, and the disease still spills over into people from rodent “reservoirs” from time to time.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “And you thought covid was bad”
From the June 18th 2022 edition
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