Mankind has recurrently faced, and overcome, challenges; but it may not have absorbed all lessons it required to along the way. A recounting of major battles that preceded the current one

From the Telegraph of 22.3.2020By Upala Sen

Epidemic, the word, as we understand it now, is the widespread occurrence of a disease in a community at a particular time. Pandemic relates to the geographic spread of an epidemic. The term epidemic is 2,500 years old and is a compound of the Greek terms epi meaning on and demos meaning people. The word epidemios was used by Homer in Odyssey, to describe someone who has returned home or to his country. Thucydides used the term epidemeo as a verb to mean “to stay in one’s own country”, as opposed to apodemeo, “to be absent from one’s country”. Later, orators Demosthenes and Aeschines used this word to refer to a stranger who arrived someplace with the intention of living there. Authors before Hippocrates used epidemios for almost everything from persons to rain to rumours to wars, but not diseases. Hippocrates was the first to adapt this word as a medical term. In the 5th century BC, the Greek physician wrote the seven-volume Epidemics, wherein he used epidemios to mean “that which circulates or propagates in a country”.

Source: A 2006 paper — 2,500-year Evolution of the Term Epidemic by Paul M.V. Martin and Estelle Martin-Granel

Various Pandemics that humans have suffered across History.
Year	Name	No of Deaths	Origin	Spread Across
165 - 180 AD	Antonine Plague	5 Million	Egypt, Most likely viral	Trade Traffic. Another theory is that the virus was borne into Rome  by soldiers returning from war against the Parthinians of Ham in Mesopotamia or from other battles in northeastern Italy. It was possibly an outbreak of smallpox with recorded symptoms such as blistered black skin rash, fever, diarrhoea and black stool
541 -543 AD	Plague of Justinian	30 - 50  millions	Egypt, Bacterial	The Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. Its capital, Constantinople, the Sasanian or Neo Persian Empire and port cities around the Mediterranean Sea.
735 - 737 AD	Japanese Smallpox	2 million	Kyushu in Japan, Viral	Caused by airborne virus, possibly spread by fishermen who had contacted the illness after being stranded on the Korean Peninsula. It swept across all the five islands that today constitue Japan.
1346 - 1353	Bubonic Plague	50 million	Origin Central Asia or East Asia, Bacterial	Mongol armies and traders were most likely carriers of the bacteria. While the plague is spread by infected fleas from small animals, it may also result from exposure to the body fluids of a dead, plague-infected animal. Swept across Europe, Asia and Africa. It is estimated to have killed 30 to 60 per cent of Europe's population.
1520 -1521	Small Pox	5 - 8 million	Coast of Mexico	A Variola virus, believed to have travelled to Mexico via Cuba, carried by a slave on a ship carrying aSspanish army. Swept the Aztec Empire or what is now central Mexico. While many credit Spanish conqueror Herman Cortes with the victory over the Aztecs at the Battle of Tenochititian, it was possibly the smallpx that had weakened the natives, leading to the downfall of the Aztec Empire
1647 - 1679 AD	Great Plaguew	1 million, Bacterial	The first cases of the London Plague were reported from St. Giles-in-the-Fileds.	The outbreak in England possibly spread from the Netherlands.Historians claim the initial contagion may have arrived with Dutch trading ships carrying bales of cotton from Amsterdam, Swept South Spain, Russia, Naples, London, Malta, Austria. A fire started on September 2, 1666, in the King's bakery in Pudding Lane near London Bridge. It was a dry summer and the fire took hold and burnt much of Central London. But it also killed the black rats and fleas that carried the plague baccilus.
1817 - 1923	Cholera	40 million, Bacterial	Jessore in undivided Bengal, now in Bangladesh	The first six cholera pandemics occurred consecutively and continuously over time. Increased commerce, migration and pilgramage are supposed to be behind its transmission. Caused by intake of contaminated food or water with the bacterium, Vibrio Cholerae. Sweep - Worldwide.
1855 - 1859	The Third Plague	14 million, bacterial	Yunan in China	Daily water traffic between China and Hongkong spread the bacteria. From Hongkong it travelled to British India. Swept Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the Indian Sub-continent.
1889 - 1890	Russian Flue	1 million, Viral	St. Petersburg in Russia	Caused by Influenza virus. Modern transport infrastructure assisted the spread of the 1889  influenza. Swept Worldwide
1918-1920	Spanish Flue	50 million , Viral	France	Caused by HONI influenza virus. Swept worldwide. The name is the result of a misunderstanding. Spain was one of a few major European countries to remain neutral during World War I. While the other countries suppressed news of the outbreak fearing it would affect troops, the Spanish media was free to report it. And thereafter, the infamy stuck.
1957-58	Asian Flue	1 million	China	Caused by influenza A Subtype H2N2. Spread from China to Singapore, reached Hongkong and then USA. It also reached India where a student in Goethals, Kurseong died.
1968-1970	Hongkong flue	1 million	China	Caused by Influenza Type A H3N2. Swept worldwide
Dec-19	COVID-19	9840*	Wuhan China	234073* Confirmed cases. Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2, believed to have originated in horseshoe bats. Early cases had links with the Hunan Seafood Wholesale market that sells live animals. Swept worldwide
		*on 21.3.20