Here are the top 10 epidemics of all time:

1. Polio: Although majority of the countries have take steps to make polio an extinct disease, there are still many developing countries that are plagued by it. In fact, many people will be surprised to note that as recently as 1952, the United States had over 50,000 cases of polio, which left many people paralyzed, and also caused a number of deaths.
2. Epidemic Typhus: This disease has been around for thousands of years. It is caused by a microbe called Rickettsia prowazekii and occurs in places that are dirty, cramped and overcrowded place that are affected by body lice. Although developed countries do not face a problem today, many countries in South America, Africa and Asia still have outbreaks of epidemic typhus.
3. Yellow Fever: When the Europeans started taking African slaves to the New World, they also ensured that they brought many diseases. One such disease was Yellow Fever. In fact, when Emperor Napoleon had sent an army of 33,000 French soldiers to North America, 29,000 soldiers succumbed to this epidemic. Later on, that part of the land was sold to the United States in 1803, the famous Louisiana Purchase.
4. AIDS: This disease first emerged in the 1980s and today, it is a global pandemic affecting millions of people. It is believed that over 33 million people across the world are HIV positive, and the number of deaths since 1981 has been estimated to stand at 25 million. The worst affected country in the world is believed to be South Africa.
5. Cholera: Although India has been battling cholera since ancient times, the rest of the world was exposed to this epidemic in the 19th century. In these times, the virus made an entry into countries like China, Japan, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe, killing millions of people. Even today, cholera is a problem in many countries that lack proper hygiene and sanitation.
6. Tuberculosis: This disease has been present since ancient times. Tuberculosis has also been discovered from mummies in Egypt. In the 1600s, tuberculosis was rampant in Europe and kept killing people for nearly 200 years. Although modern medicine has discovered treatment for this disease, it is estimated that 8 million people are affected by it each year. Out of this 2 million invariably succumb to the disease.
7. Malaria: The Greeks were the first to record the effects of malaria more than 4,000 years ago. There are also records of malaria and its treatment in ancient Indian and Chinese medicinal texts. When the Panama Canal was being constructed in 1906, out of the 26,000 workers, 21,000 had to be hospitalized due to malaria. Even today, malaria is a serious problem in many regions, especially in the sub-Saharan African region.
8. The Black Death: The Black Death is considered to be a bubonic plague that killed over half of Europe's population in 1348. The disease also managed to find its way to India and China during that time. However, there are some scientists who believe that the Black Death was a hemorrhagic virus and not a plague. Nonetheless, if the disease is a plague and modern medicine is well equipped to handle any outbreaks or epidemics.
9. The Flu of 1918: Just as World War I was going to start, the flu of 1918 made its presence felt. By the end of the year, over 37 million people were killed around the world. It took one year for the disease to stop spreading but before that around 50 to 100 million people were killed.
10. Smallpox: When the Europeans arrived in Americas, the native tribes like the Incas and Aztecs did not have immunity to the diseases brought by the explorers. Smallpox is said to the reason for decimation and extinction of these ancient tribes. The disease has a 30 percent mortality rate. Smallpox was a problem all around the world until 1977, when the last case of naturally occurring smallpox occurred. Thereafter, the World Health Organization has declared the world free of smallpox.

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