Throughout the decades, several diseases have caused havoc among the public and society as a whole, according to sciencechannel.com.

Some more deadly than others, these diseases/viruses caused so much uproar that they could be compared to the recent Ebola Virus scare in parts of West Africa. Here is a brief list that travels throughout the decades to explore why and where these viruses have caused scares throughout the U.S. and the world.

1910/20’s – The Polio virus. The crippling virus of Polio caused a scare throughout cities in the U.S. during the 1910’s through the 1920’s, according to historyofvaccines.org. In 1916, 6,000 people died from Polio in the U.S. 2,000 died in New York City alone. Many more people were left paralyzed by the virus. (information from historyofvaccines.org)

1930-1940’s – Tuberculosis.  In the 1930’s, Tuberculosis was a huge epidemic throughout the world and the U.S. alike. At the turn of the 20th century, nearly 80 percent of the population in the U.S. were affected with the contagious lung disease before age 20. By 1938, there were more than 700 hospitals dedicated to Tuberculosis research. Luckily, a vaccination was founded in the early 1940’s to slow the epidemic down greatly. (information from who.int)

1960’s – Cholera. Cholera is an infectious disease that affects the small intestine. Although, Cholera was not a problem in the U.S. it did cause many problems throughout the world, especially in underdeveloped nations. It occurred in milder climate countries and it was transferred throughout dirty water. (information from thefreedictionary.com)

1970’s – Malaria. Occuring in mostly the tropics and subtropic countries of the world, the mosquito based disease caused fear throughout the world, even the U.S. The disease causes severe chills, high-fevers and flu-like illness. Although it is now a tropical disease, Malaria originated in the Netherlands. (information from againstmalaria.com)

1980’s – AIDS. The HIV/AIDS virus created a stir of emotions and fear in California and New York. It was originally thought that AIDS was simply a rare form of pneumonia, but researchers began to find the truth within the virus, according avert.org. By August of 1989, nearly 100,000 people were diagnosed with AIDS and were reported by the CDC. (information from avert.org)