The Black Death

A pandemic is something that we are all too familiar with these days. We had one, we still have one, but after a few years, we seem to be less worried about it. And that offers some intriguing new information about how people respond to illness. Covid-19 was over after two years. Everyone wants to continue. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that the Black Death, the original pandemic, is still active today.

The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, claimed the lives of about 25 million people in the 14th century, which was a significant portion of the world's population at the time. Though it's much less common now, the pandemic still affects roughly 7 Americans each year. Even the disease broke out in Los Angeles in 1924.

In 2020, the epidemic claimed the life of a man in New Mexico, while a new case was discovered in California. It still kills, therefore it's not just still there. Between 2010 and 2015, there were more than 3200 cases and approximately 600 fatalities worldwide.