THE FIRST ANIMAL DISEASE TO BE ERADICATED IN THE HISTORY OF PANDEMIC- RINDERPEST

Abstract

We talk about the worst pandemics in history, like Plague of Justinian (541-543), Black Death (1347-1351), Spanish flu (1918-1919), SARS (2002-2003), swine flu (009-2010), MERS (2015- ongoing) and COVID-19 (2019- ongoing) etc., that have worn out half of the human population. What about the animals? Are they not victims of these pandemics? Yes, they were also, witnessing many zoonotic diseases such as rinderpest disease, avian influenza, food-and-mouth disease virus, etc., that led to massive killings that wore out half their population. This paper will give a brief history on Rinderpest virus that afflicted animals throughout history. While it did not infect humans it severely affected their livelihoods. Rinderpest disease- ‘Cattle Plague’, was a devastating disease of livestock responsible for continent-wide famine and poverty (14). In 2011 with UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health declaring globe eradication of rinderpest; only the second in history to be eradicated after smallpox in humans in 1980 (1). Through Longitudinal and Exploratory methodology this paper also provides a detailed history of Rinderpest from its origin to turning into the worst pandemic that changed the outcome of history, majorly affected regions/continents around the globe from decades, symptoms, role-played by various organizations in putting efforts into eradicating this disease and concludes with an overview of this pandemic.