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Ancient and modern

What can Roman outbreaks of malaria teach us about Covid?

27 June 2020

9:00 AM

27 June 2020

9:00 AM

When Covid-19 first appeared, its similarity to Sars made some assume it could not mount a pandemic; others that it would be infectious, but mild. Assumptions with unhappy consequences are nothing new: some can last millennia.

Take the West’s understanding of malaria. This deadly fever, widespread across the ancient world and mentioned in Homer, is caused by mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite.

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