The continued spread of the coronavirus has prompted governments to enact tough measures to combat the pandemic, such as locking down whole cities and travel restrictions. More than 5,300 people have died from the illness so far and nearly 145,000 others have been sickened.

The World Health Organization officially declared the virus a pandemic earlier this week. It prompts the question, what are some of the worst pandemics in modern history?

Spanish flu: 1918

The influenza pandemic killed upwards of 50 million people worldwide, including more than 670,000 in the United States. The virus is the deadliest of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population became infected with the virus. Some of the cases first detected were soldiers at Camp Funston in Fort Riley, Kansas. In October 1918 alone, the flu killed around 195,000 …continued .
[Source: Fox News]