Commentary
Humans have always faced disease outbreaks, sometimes spreading widely as pandemics. Dealing with these, reducing their frequency, and reducing harm when they occur are important reasons why we now live longer than our ancestors. As human society has progressed, we have become very good at managing risk and harm. A reduction in inequality and evidence-based health policies have been central to this success. Understanding how we got to this point, and the forces that are pulling us back, is vital to maintaining this progress.
The World Around and Within Us
Infectious disease outbreaks happen. They once defined much of life, removing half the population in childhood and sometimes coming in waves that killed up to a third of entire populations. These historic outbreaks and life-shortening endemic diseases were mostly caused by bacteria, spread through poor hygiene and living conditions. Since we (re-)invented underground sewers, and (re-)understood the importance of clean drinking water and a good diet, mortality has greatly declined. We now live, on average, much longer. The development of modern antibiotics brought another huge step forward—most deaths during the Spanish flu, before modern antibiotics were invented, were due to
secondary bacterial infections.
