The Covid-19 epidemic is unfortunately not the first. Other viruses are circulating, claiming many victims. By comparing the Sars-Cov-2 virus to other infectious agents, is it possible to assess its dangerousness?
Emerging viruses associated with deadly epidemics
- SARS 2003
In November 2002, the coronavirus responsible for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) appeared in China, then spread rapidly in 30 countries. The SARS epidemic is then qualified as a pandemic. Its duration is rather short, as it ends in July 2003, thanks to very restrictive controls and effective preventive means. The case fatality rate during this period is 9.4%, with 774 deaths and a probability of over 8,000 reported cases. SARS made an impression because of its very rapid spread in many countries by air traffic. At the same time, health professionals were particularly exposed when treating patients. Between March and July 2003, France reported 437 possible cases and only 1 death. In the situation update, the WHO explained that “health officials, doctors and scientists around the world are fighting to bring a severe and rapidly spreading disease in humans, Acute Severe Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, under control. It appears to be the first new, severe and easily transmitted disease to appear in the 21st century.”
- MERS-CoV
In 2012, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus occurs. Originally from Saudi Arabia, it is very close to certain viruses found on bats, which constitute the “natural reservoir”. The intermediate host would be the dromedary. Since 2012, 1,219 cases have been detected, as well as 449 deaths from MERS-CoV. In France, only 2 people were infected in 2013. They were then placed in isolation at the Lille University Hospital, to prevent transmission of the virus.
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SARS-CoV-2
As of September 26, more than 32,000,000 people are infected worldwide with Covid-19, with a death toll of nearly 1 million. In France, on the same day, the results show 513,034 confirmed cases and more than 36,000 deaths.
Influenza A (H1N1)
In 2009, a new virus broke out, causing influenza A (H1N1). It is also a contagious respiratory disease. Commonly called the “swine flu”, it is now part of the seasonal flu. The A virus is also at the origin of the Spanish influenza of 1918. The H1N1 influenza is the result of a combination of the avian, swine and human virus. In 2009, around the world, this flu will cause the official death of 18,500 people. However, in 2016, the WHO estimated between 100,000 and 400,000 the number of deaths linked to the H1N1 virus. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against this virus. The flu (Influenza) causes the death of 10,000 to 15,000 people in France each year and affects 2 to 8 million French people. WHO also informs us that “ every year an estimated 1 billion cases, between 3 and 5 million severe cases and between 290,000 and 650,000 respiratory deaths from influenza […] on a planetary scale”.
Other virus diseases
The Ebola virus, discovered in 1976, is transmitted to humans by wild animals, then becomes transmissible between humans. The disease is often very serious and even fatal. Its average case fatality rate is 50%. Regarding HIV (acquired immunodeficiency virus), estimates at the end of 2019 speak of 38 million people living with this virus. It remains a major public health problem, as nearly 33 million people have died from HIV. The care of patients with AIDS is tending to improve markedly, thanks to reinforced means of prevention and better access to diagnosis and treatment.
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