10. Asian flu
Death toll: 1.5 million
Year: 1957
Asian flu originated in China in early 1957. By summer it reached the continental United States. At first, it didn’t look all that serious, but then a second wave hit. By March 1958, almost 70,000 people in the United States alone died. Worldwide, about 1.5 million people lost their lives to the culprit, Influenza A subtype H2N2.
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