09 THE GREAT PLAGUE OF LONDON 1665 1666 , SOCIAL DISTANCING, FLEAS TRANSMITTED VIRUS TO INFESTED RAT

The Great Plague of London was an epidemic that struck the city of London in 1665 and 1666, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is also responsible for the Black Death. The disease spread rapidly and had a profound impact on the city, both in terms of human suffering and social and economic disruption. The plague is believed to have originated in Asia and arrived in Europe via trade routes. It first appeared in London in the summer of 1665 and quickly spread throughout the city, aided by poor sanitation and overcrowding. The disease was transmitted by fleas that infested rats, which were abundant in the city at the time. The symptoms of the plague were gruesome and included fever, chills, vomiting, and the appearance of painful, pus-filled buboes (swollen lymph nodes) on the body. The disease was highly contagious and could be fatal in a matter of days. At the height of the epidemic, it is estimated that up to 100,000 people, or a quarter of the city’s population, died from the disease.