Rinderpest in Netherlands 18th century. Jan Smit
In June 2019, The Pirbright Institute in Surrey destroyed the most extensive laboratory stock of rinderpest virus remaining in the world. With the disease officially declared eradicated in 2011 and a digital record made of the genetic code, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Organization for Animal Health had begun to put pressure on labs around the world to reduce risks of accidental release. The rinderpest outbreak of the late 19th century was one of the most devastating plagues in African history – it killed 90% of Southern and East Africa’s cattle and the subsequent starvation killed as many people as the Black Death. It wiped out a third of Ethiopia’s population. Its effect on the continent’s wildlife was equally extreme, and the ramifications are still felt well into the 21st century.
Continues here: https://africageographic.com/stories/un ... 3cf4ca8e69
