Why Did Diseases Spread So Rapidly In The Americas After European Explorers Arrived?

European explorers unknowingly brought many terrible diseases to the continents of the Americas and spread them among its simple Native People.

Once these Native people got infected, the diseases spread so rapidly because:

• They had no scientific knowledge to prevent the spread of those lethal diseases.
• Natives’ immunity systems were not familiar to fight back those germs.
• Medical science was still in its infancy stage to create vaccines for curing them.

Even, in most cases, Native people got no idea what is going on with them.

Because of these reasons, these terrible diseases killed around 90 percent of Native Americans’ population since the 16th century.

Such terrible diseases were Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Typhus, Influenza, Cholera, Measles, Malaria, Mumps, Pertussis, Tuberculosis, Bubonic Plague, and many sexually transmitted diseases.

Which Disease Had The Greatest Impact On The Americas?

Smallpox remained the most devastating disease for the Native Americans.

In 1519, European settlers first brought it to South America.

It killed more Native people than any other disease.

Especially, Smallpox caused huge destruction in places like today’s Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile; alone in Mexico, it killed 8 million indigenous people in 1520.

Did You Know?

1. Before the European invasion of Mexico in 1519, the total population of the land was 25 to 30 million.

After fifty years, because of the deaths due to the spread of lethal maladies, its population reduced to only 3 million.

In 1520, Smallpox killed 8 million, 1545 Cocoliztli epidemic killed 12 to 15 million, and again in 1576 Cocoliztli killed 2 million local Mexicans.

2. Wherever throughout the world Europeans have established their colonies, they have spread dangerous diseases and killed millions of its local people.

These diseases almost exterminated its local population. Apart from the Americas, Australia is also a significant example of it.

For this reason, the majority of today’s Australian population is of European origin.