Is it true that pandemia occurs in the world every hundred years?

A year has passed as announced Distribution of covid-19 pandemia. Even before that, information began to appear on the Internet that pandemics happen in the world once a century: there was already a plague, cholera, Spanish, and now - coronavirus. We checked whether the pandemias really come once every hundred years.

This is what one of the posts for Picabu looks like, laid out In January 2020, shortly before the WHO announced the coronavirus infection with pandemia:

“We have a tradition every 100 years ...

1720 The last pandemic of plague
1820 cholera pandemia
1920 Spanish
2020 (you are here). ”

In English -speaking publications and the media, information that the pandemic is once every hundred years began to actively spread in April 2020. This meme has become especially popular. It says: “1720 is the plague. 1820-cholera. 1920-Spanish flu. 2020-coronavirus. " “History seems to repeat itself every hundred years,” - says The inscription in the picture.

In Russian -speaking sources, the information began to spread even earlier. One of the articles appeared, for example, on February 28, 2020. It was called "Once in 100 years, a big disease comes to Earth. The coincidence? ”, And its author speculated:“ There is a theory that every 100 years on Earth has been developing the pandemic virus. We can say that this is a coincidence, but chronological accuracy is alarming. <...> A logical question arises: what if these pandemia is artificially satisfied with some sinister power? Maybe a secret organization? "

As in Meme, the article mentioned four cases of pandemia: a bubonic plague in 1720, cholera in 1820, Spanish flu in 1920 and began to spread a new type of coronavirus from China.

In most publications, these four cases appear (although There is and more complete versions). And part of the information about them is even correct. In 1720 really was The pandemic of the tower plague, called Marseille and spread in Europe. 

However, this was not the first pandemia of the bubonic plague: a much larger pandemia of this disease It happened In 1347–1351. According to various estimates, then the disease Tedged Life from 75 million to 200 million people. At the same time, there were other Flies of plague, which began not at the beginning of the century, and some of them are also considered pandemia.

As for the cholera pandemia, then It has begun It was not in 1820, but in 1817 and lasted until 1824. Basically, this pandemic affected India and Asia. But behind her followed Five (!) Pandemic cholera: all began in the 19th century in different decades and in different regions. And one more - in the XX century, the countdown of which It has begun in 1961.

Finally, the pandemic of Spanish flu too It has begun Not in 1920, but in 1918. At the same time, by December 1920, her pace had already slowed down.

There are no in the list other Pandemia, which began not at the beginning of the century. For example, from 1981 to date, HIV/AIDS pandemic, as well as other types of flu, is less large than Spanish: the so -called Asian flu and the FIP "Hong Kong", which spread in the second half of the 20th century. And many other epidemics that have crossed the threshold, behind which the disease, according to modern WHO standards, begins to be considered pandemia.

Thus, no, pandemia does not happen every hundred years. They can happen and happen more often, just these data are not suitable for “amazing” chronological accuracy, and therefore lovers of numerology and conspiracy theories exclude them from consideration.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Visualizing the History of Pandemics
2. Hays J. Epidemics and Pandemics: Their Impacts on Human History
3. Plague Through History
4. Have Plagues Repeated Exactly Eve 100 Years?