The COVID-19 pandemic and the “Plague of Athens”: comparable features 25 centuries apart

Abstract

Motivated by the up to now disastrous outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, we attempted a flashback to the so-called “Plague of Athens,” which indicated a serious contagious disease, having taken place between 430 and 426 BC. The ancient pandemic was meticulously described by the Athenian historian and general Thucydides. We compared, as much as possible, the following parameters: background conditions, spreading of the pandemics, preceded and concurrent adverse events, duration and waves of the pandemics, symptoms, implicated infectious agents/diseases and mental/psychosocial consequences. The current pandemic was preceded by a global economic crisis, which particularly affected deprived population groups, while the ancient one started on the second year of a catastrophic civil war. Rivalry and different political systems between now (US/China) and then (Athens/Sparta) superpowers were the basis for conspiracy scenarios, concerning origins of the pandemics, which resulted to huge numbers of deaths, particularly in overcrowded and poor areas/cities. Both pandemics not sparing any age, sex, nationality, social group, may have had a zoonotic component, besides being air-born. However, their spreading is/was remarkably rapid, presenting 3–4 waves and lasting for several years. Some somatic signs and symptoms of the diseases coincide. Although for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 has been identified as causing agent, the antique pandemic has most probably been attributed to typhoid fever, although this is still a matter of debate. Additionally, both pandemics affected mental health and psychosocial behavior in close similarity. It is noteworthy, that in both eras physicians and healthcare workers, despite physical and psychological exhaustion, in the majority, presented admirable resilience and willingness to help suffering fellow people, often at the expense of their own lives. The considerable number of comparable features between COVID-19 and the “Plague of Athens” confirms that pandemics may present over time important similarities in their origin, evolution and outcomes.

Keywords:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• SARS-CoV-2
• symptoms
• “Athens Plague”
• Thucydides
• Peloponnesian war

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).