loading page

How vector-borne disease shaped the course of human history
  • +26
  • Tejas Athni,
  • Marta Shocket,
  • Iain Caldwell,
  • Jamie Caldwell,
  • Jasmine Childress,
  • Marissa Childs,
  • Lisa Couper,
  • Giulio De Leo,
  • Devin Kirk,
  • Andrew MacDonald,
  • Nicole Nova,
  • Kathryn Olivarius,
  • David Pickel,
  • Olivia Winokur,
  • Hillary Young,
  • Julian Cheng,
  • Elizabeth Grant,
  • Patrick Kurzner,
  • Saw Kyaw,
  • Bradford Lin,
  • Ricardo Lopez,
  • Diba Massihpour,
  • Erica Olsen,
  • Maggie Roache,
  • Angie Ruiz,
  • Emily Schultz,
  • Muskan Shafat,
  • Rebecca Spencer,
  • Erin Mordecai
Tejas Athni
Stanford University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Marta Shocket
Stanford University
Author Profile
Iain Caldwell
James Cook University
Author Profile
Jamie Caldwell
Stanford University
Author Profile
Jasmine Childress
University of California Santa Barbara
Author Profile
Marissa Childs
Stanford University
Author Profile
Lisa Couper
Stanford University
Author Profile
Giulio De Leo
Stanford Universoty
Author Profile
Devin Kirk
Stanford University
Author Profile
Andrew MacDonald
University of California Santa Barbara
Author Profile
Nicole Nova
Stanford University
Author Profile
Kathryn Olivarius
Stanford University
Author Profile
David Pickel
Stanford University
Author Profile
Olivia Winokur
University of California Davis
Author Profile
Hillary Young
University of California Santa Barbara
Author Profile
Julian Cheng
Stanford University
Author Profile
Elizabeth Grant
Stanford University
Author Profile
Patrick Kurzner
Stanford University
Author Profile
Saw Kyaw
Stanford University
Author Profile
Bradford Lin
Stanford University
Author Profile
Ricardo Lopez
Stanford University
Author Profile
Diba Massihpour
Stanford University
Author Profile
Erica Olsen
Stanford University
Author Profile
Maggie Roache
Stanford University
Author Profile
Angie Ruiz
Stanford University
Author Profile
Emily Schultz
Stanford University
Author Profile
Muskan Shafat
Stanford University
Author Profile
Rebecca Spencer
Stanford University
Author Profile
Erin Mordecai
Stanford University
Author Profile

Abstract

The extent to which vector-borne diseases (VBDs) have shaped human history remains under-recognized, even in the disease ecology community, despite several well-known examples. Although they represent a significant threat to global human health, accounting for more than one billion cases and one million deaths annually, VBDs have coexisted with humans since the advent of civilization and have migrated with humans around the world. Here, we synthesize historical, anthropological, and archaeological evidence and examine it through an ecological lens to illustrate how four major VBDs—plague, malaria, yellow fever, and trypanosomiasis—have shaped the course of human history through three main pathways: (1) outcomes of colonialism, imperialism, war, and conflict; (2) human interactions with the environment; and (3) intrasocietal human interactions. For example, malaria tipped the American Revolution toward the Continental Army; plague promoted reforestation in Europe; yellow fever entrenched African slavery in colonies in the Americas; trypanosomiasis impeded large settlements and central governments in pre-colonial sub-Saharan Africa. By drawing comparisons across diseases, time periods, and geographic locations, we show how VBDs have historically affected human populations, from the age of early Homo sapiens to the modern context, and how they continue to impact the world.