The plague of Athens and COVID-19

Epidemics are always a surprise. Diseases can be as small as a cell, but are one of the most dangerous things on our planet. The reason why diseases ,especially bacteria and viruses, are so dangerous is because they spread quickly and mutate a lot. Epidemics are unpredictable, especially for the city of Athens on their second year of the Peloponnesian War. The Great Plague of Athens swept through the city in 430 B.C. killing about 100,000 people. Historians are not sure what kind of disease it was, but most think it was bacterial. The disease weakened the Athenian democracy might even have been the reason it ended. Thucydides, an Athenian general who was exiled from Athens for being defeated in battle, notes how crowding in Athens, along with inadequate housing and sanitation, helped the disease spread more quickly and added to the number of deaths. The thing that made the plague worse was that everyone was freaking out and panicking, which tore the city apart. What made the plague worse was that Pericles, Athens's ruler, died so men were trying to take his place. Athens's plague is an example to help us understand why self-quarantine and social distancing is important. Maryland is a crowded state and that means the disease could spread quickly if we don't take the right pre cautions. Coronavirus came from no where and has threatened to spread all over the world, but it can't spread if people are in their houses and away from other people. At this moment in time, 509,427 people around the world have been infected wit the virus. 23,004 people have died of it, and four of those people were in Maryland. Although the coronavirus is scary, we have to learn from Athens that we shouldn't panic and avoid being in contact with others who could have the virus. Epidemics are scary and dangerous, but they can stop if we all pitch in and handle it the right way.