Which disease occurred during the Middle Ages and killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia?

Which disease occurred during the Middle Ages and killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia?

• A. Smallpox
• B. Bubonic plague
• C. Measles
• D. Tuberculosis

Answer: (B)

During the Middle Ages, the disease that caused the most dramatic and widespread loss of life across Europe and Asia was the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death. It was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread mainly through fleas carried by rats. The rapid spread along trade routes, such as those linking Asia and Europe, led to devastating outbreaks around 1347–1351, with mortality estimates often cited around three-quarters of the population in affected areas, though figures vary by region. This scenario fits the description because it describes a single, well-documented medieval pandemic with extraordinarily high death tolls across two continents. Other diseases listed—smallpox, measles, and tuberculosis—have long, complex histories and significant impact, but they do not match the specific medieval epidemic that caused such extreme mortality in Europe and Asia in that era.

During the Middle Ages, the disease that caused the most dramatic and widespread loss of life across Europe and Asia was the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death. It was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread mainly through fleas carried by rats. The rapid spread along trade routes, such as those linking Asia and Europe, led to devastating outbreaks around 1347–1351, with mortality estimates often cited around three-quarters of the population in affected areas, though figures vary by region.

This scenario fits the description because it describes a single, well-documented medieval pandemic with extraordinarily high death tolls across two continents. Other diseases listed—smallpox, measles, and tuberculosis—have long, complex histories and significant impact, but they do not match the specific medieval epidemic that caused such extreme mortality in Europe and Asia in that era.