People Epidemic Killed Million United States Disease Worst

The worst epidemic in U.S. History was an outbreak of Spanish "influenza" (flu) in 1918. Although the flu normally lasts only a few days, causing "congestion" (difficulty breathing through one's nose), coughing, and a fever, the influenza in 1918 killed more than half a million people - more than any other epidemic in the country.

The United States has "seen" (experienced) several epidemics of yellow fever. Yellow fever killed 4,000 residents of Philadelphia in 1793, as well as almost 8,000 in New Orleans in the mid 1800s, and more than 13,000 in the Southern States around the Mississippi Valley in 1878.

"Cholera" (a disease caused by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food) has also been "deadly" (killing many people). In 1832, cholera epidemics killed more than 3,000 people in New York City and more than 4,000 people in New Orleans. Another 5,000 people died from cholera in New York City in 1848.

In 1916, "polio" (a disease that affects nerves in the spine (back), making the sufferer unable to move certain muscles) "claimed the lives of" (killed) more than 7,000 and affected more than 27,000 others, with other major outbreaks in 1949 and 1952.

The AIDS epidemic was a major concern between 1981 and 2005, when it affected "nearly" (almost) a million people in the United States, resulting in more than 550,000 deaths.

The most recent epidemic in the United States was H1N1 or "swine flu." According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC; health authorities in the U.S.), 22 million people in the country were infected with the virus. Almost 100,000 of them had to be "hospitalized" (spend time in the hospital for treatment) and almost 4,000 died from H1N1.