# Malaria v's Bubonic plague

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaria-vs-bubonic-plague/305>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 23, 1999, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaria-vs-bubonic-plague/305 "1999-11-23T12:39:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MAEDBH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed8c4c/32.png) [@MAEDBH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MAEDBH)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaria-vs-bubonic-plague/305/1 "1999-11-23T12:39:00Z")

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I know that malaria is the biggest killer of humans over all throughout history but during bubonic plague pandemics was it a bigger killer?

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**Author:** ![Jomolungma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@Jomolungma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jomolungma)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaria-vs-bubonic-plague/305/2 "1999-11-23T13:38:00Z")

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This, **MAEDBH** is from the Columbia Encyclopedia entry (found at the [InfoPlease.com](http://InfoPlease.com) Web site):  
_. The earliest known visitation of the plague to Europe occurred in Athens in 430 B.C. A disastrous epidemic occurred in Rome in the 3d cent., in which 5,000 persons are reported to have succumbed daily. The most widespread epidemic began in Constantinople in 1334, spread throughout Europe (returning Crusaders were a factor in this respect), and in less than 20 years is estimated to have killed as much as three quarters of the population of Europe and Asia._

The following, again from the InfoPlease page:

**Leading causes of global deaths**

In 1997, of a global total of 52.2 million deaths, 17.3 million were due to infectious and parasitic diseases; 15.3 million were due to circulatory diseases; 6.2 million were due to cancer; 2.9 million were due to respiratory diseases, mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and 3.6 million were due to perinatal conditions.  
Leading causes of death from infectious diseases were acute lower respiratory infections (3.7 million), tuberculosis (2.9 million), diarrhea (2.5 million), HIV/AIDS (2.3 million), and malaria (1.5–2.7 million).

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**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaria-vs-bubonic-plague/305/3 "1999-11-23T17:57:00Z")

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Don’t forget the flu pandemic of 1917… I’m moving this thread over to General Questions, as I don’t think it refers to a Cecil column. Correct me if I’m wrong!  
Jill