Deadly Diseases

Throughout human history, people have been battling illnesses. Smallpox spread through cities in ancient times. The bubonic plague in the Middle Ages killed millions around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life across the globe in 2020. At the same time, tragic events like these have led to amazing improvements in medicine. Deadly Diseases helps readers examine the history of these diseases and the science behind how they work. It also explores treatments and vaccines that have saved countless lives. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

COVID-19

COVID-19 swept across the world in 2020, causing millions of deaths and changing daily life for nearly everyone on the planet. Scientists worked quickly to create a vaccine and stop the…

Ebola

The Ebola virus was discovered in Africa in the 1970s. Since then, it has caused several terrifying outbreaks. In some of them, more than half of the infected people died. Ebola explores the…

Influenza

Influenza has caused several devastating pandemics. Milder forms also appear yearly as the seasonal flu. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from influenza. Influenza explores the…

Malaria

Mosquitoes are often considered the deadliest animals on Earth, mostly because they spread malaria. Without treatment, malaria can be fatal. Using things such as mosquito nets and…

Polio

Polio once frightened parents every summer. The disease could suddenly leave children paralyzed. But in the 1950s, scientists developed a vaccine that nearly eliminated the disease. Polio…

Smallpox

Eradicating smallpox was one of the great medical success stories in human history. The disease once killed large numbers of people, but vaccination programs brought case numbers to zero by…

The Bubonic Plague

The bubonic plague has been responsible for some of the deadliest pandemics in history. One of them, known as the Black Death, killed millions of people in the 1300s CE. The Bubonic Plague…

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that causes trouble breathing. Doctors have developed effective medicines against it. But at the same time, the disease has become resistant to treatment.…