Epidemics in India

Although there have been significant diseases and viral outbreaks in India, notably the SARS epidemic between 2002 and 2004, data reveal that they were nowhere as broad as the COVID-19, which has now spread to virtually every region of the country and almost every country on the planet. Mass travel, among other factors, has aided in the unprecedented quick and widespread transmission of viruses throughout the world. Let us have a look at the history of epidemics in India.

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An Illustration of the History of Epidemics in India

Since the 1990s, India has witnessed outbreaks of many epidemics, including SARS, swine flu, and corona. COVID-19, on the other hand, was the most widespread and fatal of these epidemics. In this post, we shall discuss the significant epidemics that have occurred in India during the 1990s. Let us learn more about the history of epidemics in India since the 1900s.

What is an Outbreak?

An outbreak is defined as an increase in the number of cases of a disease in a short period of time. An epidemic might affect a single town or a large geographic area or affect many nations. It could last a few days to weeks, months, or even years.

Each year, some outbreaks, such as influenza, are predicted. An outbreak might sometimes be defined as a single instance of an infectious illness. This may be true if the disease is uncommon (food-borne botulism) or has significant public health consequences (e.g., bioterrorism agents such as anthrax).

What are Epidemics? 

An epidemic occurs when an infectious disease spreads rapidly among a large number of people. When the spread of a disease is much larger than it was previously, it is called an epidemic. Epidemics are geographically, regionally, or demographically limited. List of Epidemics in India

The history of epidemics in India since the 1900s is provided in detail below:

1915 - 1926: Encephalitis Lethargica 

Between 1915 and 1926, encephalitis lethargica, commonly known as "lethargic encephalitis," was a form of pandemic encephalitis that spread across the world. Increased languor, apathy, sleepiness, and lethargy were symptoms of the illness, which had spread across Europe, the United States, Canada, Central America, and India by 1919. Encephalitis A was also known as Economo encephalitis or illness.

It appears that nasal and oral secretions transmitted the virus. It is estimated that 1.5 million individuals perished as a result of this illness.

1918 - 1920: Spanish Flu

There was a new virus to cope with, the Spanish Flu, before much of the globe had recovered from the outbreak of Encephalitis lethargica. A lethal type of avian influenza caused this outbreak, and it was a viral infectious illness. This virus's development was primarily due to World War I, which had produced enormous mobilization of troops in many areas of the world, whose travels aided spread this infectious disease, despite the fact that the war had ended by the pandemic had peaked.

1961 - 1975: Cholera Pandemic

Vibrio cholera is a type of bacteria that has caused too many cholera pandemics since the year 1817. When the El Tor strain of the Vibrio cholera bacterium was discovered in Makassar, Indonesia, in 1961, it triggered the seventh cholera pandemic. The virus expanded to other Southeast Asia and South Asia regions in less than five years, reaching Bangladesh in 1963 and India in 1964. In India, scholarly publications have noted that Kolkata's climate and position in the Gangetic delta and inadequate water sanitation practices make the city a hotbed for cholera, and this epidemic was no exception.

1968 - 1969: Flu Pandemic

The H3N2 type of influenza A virus caused the Flu to spread in Hong Kong in 1968, and it reached India within two months. After the Vietnam War, American soldiers returned from Vietnam and became carriers of the virus in the United States.

1974: Smallpox Epidemic

Smallpox was declared eliminated by the World Health Organization in 1980. Variola major or Variola minor viral types were responsible for the infectious illness. The disease's roots are uncertain, although it appears to have existed in the 3rd century BCE. This illness has been seen in outbreaks throughout the world, and it is unclear when it originally appeared in India.

Between 1972 and 1975, the WHO assisted in the administration of the smallpox vaccine across the country, with emergency treatment from the Soviet Union, mainly it's a supply of millions of doses of freeze-dried smallpox vaccine to India, and independent investigations revealed that India was free of smallpox by March 1977.

1994: Plague in Surat

The pneumonic plague struck Surat in September 1994, forcing thousands of people to evacuate the city. People hoarded vital supplies, and panic ensued as a result of rumours and disinformation. The illness spread to other regions of the nation as a result of the mass migration. Within weeks, there were reports of at least 1,000 instances of the illness, as well as 50 deaths.

2002 - 2004: SARS 

SARS was the first severe sickness to be transmitted from one person to another after the twenty-first century. SARS, sometimes known as SARS CoV, was a severe acute respiratory illness with a cause similar to COVID-19. This virus was renowned for its numerous mutations and was spread by coughing and sneezing from one person to another.

2006: Dengue and Chikungunya Outbreak

Mosquito bites caused both chikungunya and dengue outbreaks. The stagnation of the water main caused these mosquito-borne diseases. It became a breeding ground for such mosquitoes. These two outbreaks affected a lot of people from all over India. These epidemics hit several areas of the country, with the most significant number of cases recorded in the national capital, Delhi.

2009: Gujarat Hepatitis Outbreak

Hepatitis B, an infectious illness caused by the hepatitis B virus that damages the liver, was reported to have infected around 125 persons in Modasa, Gujarat, in February 2009. The illness is spread by infected blood and other bodily fluids, and local doctors were suspected of treating patients with syringes that had been used and contaminated.

2014 - 2015: Jaundice Outbreak in Odisha

In September 2014, an outbreak of jaundice hit many cities in Odisha, with the initial few cases recorded in the town of Sambalpur. Six individuals had died, and over 670 cases of jaundice had been documented in the city in less than three months. According to investigators, drain water may have leaked into drinking water pipelines, poisoning hundreds of people.

2014-2015: Swine flu Outbreak

Several instances of the H1V1 virus began to appear in the last months of 2014. Swine flu is a kind of influenza virus that was particularly prevalent in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Telangana in 2014. Despite many public awareness campaigns, by March 2015, about 33,000 cases had been recorded across the country, with the death of approximately 2000 individuals.

2017: Encephalitis Outbreak

In 2017, the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh saw an upsurge in the number of children who died due to mosquito bites. Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis syndrome killed these youngsters. Both of these viral infections induce brain inflammation, leading to physical impairments and, in some circumstances, death.

2018: Nipah Virus Outbreak

Fruit bats were linked to a viral outbreak in Kerala in May 2018, caused by the Nipah virus, and resulted in sickness and fatalities. Within days of medical practitioners confirming the virus's breakout, the Kerala government moved in to put numerous protective measures to stem the spread of the virus and launch public awareness campaigns.

2019: Coronavirus

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a novel strain found in 2019 that humans have never seen before. It is zoonotic, meaning it may be passed from animals to humans. Respiratory symptoms, cough, fever, shortness of breath, and breathing problems are all common indicators of infection. The infection can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, renal failure, and even death in more severe instances. Since the 1990s, India has seen many significant epidemics. This was the list of epidemics in India eradicated from India because of good hygiene and sanitization efforts. But COVID-19 continues to be a problem in India and other areas of the world.