Old World Diseases in the Americas: The plight of Native Americans and European Conquest

When Christopher Columbus made landfall on that fateful day in 1492, he didn't discover a 'New World.'  Rather, he found an old and established world; one with people, societies and culture. What Columbus unknowingly did was create a new world by establishing a link between Europe and the Americas, a connection that proved to have apocalyptic significance for Native Americans. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the important infectious diseases that were so devastating to Native Americans following European and African contact.