Third plague pandemic

The Third Plague Pandemic is a major outbreak of the bubonic plague that began in Yunnan, China in 1855. This plague pandemic, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread across the globe, resulting in millions of deaths before subsiding in the 1950s.

Burning houses during bubonic plague-China-1890s

Origins and Spread

The outbreak is thought to have originated in the Yunnan province of China, subsequently spreading to other parts of the country. From there, it was carried globally by rats on steamships. The first major outbreak outside of China occurred in Hong Kong in 1894.

Epidemiology and Impact

Over the course of the pandemic, the plague reached all inhabited continents and led to over 12 million deaths, particularly in India and China. The epidemic had significant socioeconomic effects, including causing major disruptions to trade and provoking widespread fear and panic.

Scientific Developments

The Third Plague Pandemic was instrumental in the development of the field of epidemiology. During this pandemic, Alexandre Yersin, a French-Swiss physician, and Kitasato Shibasaburō, a Japanese physician, independently identified Yersinia pestis as the causative agent. Furthermore, this pandemic led to the development of the first effective plague vaccine by Waldemar Haffkine.

Control and Decline

Control of the pandemic was eventually achieved through a combination of surveillance, quarantine measures, and the use of Haffkine's vaccine. The World Health Organization declared the pandemic officially over in 1959, although sporadic cases continue to appear globally.

See Also

• Yersinia pestis
• Bubonic plague
• Alexandre Yersin
• Kitasato Shibasaburō
• Waldemar Haffkine

References

• Echenberg, Myron (2007). Plague Ports: The Global Urban Impact of Bubonic Plague, 1894-1901. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-2232-9.
• Yersin, Alexandre (1894). "La peste bubonique à Hong-Kong". Annales de l'Institut Pasteur (in French).
• "Plague". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018.

External Links

Regional Office for Africa Third Plague Pandemic - Britannica The College of Physicians of Philadelphia