The 1623 Malta plague outbreak was a minor outbreak of
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
( mt, pesta) on the island of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, then
ruled by the Order of St John. It was probably caused by infected materials from
a major epidemic in 1592–1593, and it was successfully contained after causing 40 to 45 deaths.
Background
At the time of the outbreak, Malta was
ruled by the
Order of St John. Between 1592 and 1593,
a plague epidemic had killed about 3,000 people on the island.
Outbreak
The first cases of plague in this outbreak were detected in the capital
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
,
among family members of Paulus Emilius Ramadus,
the Port Chief Sanitary Officer. It is suspected that the latter had handled refuse material from the 1592–1593 epidemic which might have been infected, causing the 1623 outbreak.
The disease subsequently spread to a number of other households.
Containment measures
In the 1623 outbreak health authorities implemented strict measures which managed to successfully contain the spread of the disease. Sanitary Commissioners isolated people who had been infected and those who came in contact with them on
Bishop's Island in
Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
. Houses of infected people were guarded, and restrictions were imposed on movement between Valletta and the rest of the island. Congregations were prohibited, and other containment measures included the banning of
cloak
A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and a ...
s, which were believed to facilitate contact between people.
Impact
The outbreak caused the deaths of either 40
or 45
people.
See also
*
Plague epidemics in Malta
Several epidemics from the plague struck Malta from the medieval era until 1945, claiming almost 20,000 victims in at least ten epidemics over 350 years. After the first epidemics, preventive measures were installed, including a very active lazare ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malta plague, 1623
Second plague pandemic
1623 plague
1623 in Malta
1623 disasters
17th-century health disasters