1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic

At the time of the outbreak, Malta was ruled by the Order of St John, making the country a Theocracy. This meant that general administration, including epidemic protocol, was handled by church officials. The Order maintained the power to declare an epidemic, while any doctors not affiliated with the church could only advise on the subject. During this time it was believed that a lot of places that had been affected were those with high numbers of travellers, as well as those places where poor people would lie as it was believed they had fewer facilities to be able to clean up and control the spread of the disease. Malta is located in the Mediterranean sea about 81 kilometers from Sicily. Being surrounded by sea made it quite easy for such diseases to spread, as people at the time were making money through fishing and merchant trading. The cities that were affected the most by the plague were Valletta, Vittoriosa and Senglea. These were the major cities with high number of residents and visitors. As we see from this chart the number of deaths seemingly lower the further away from the sea they are. There was also geographic elements as to why these cities had been affected, and that was because these cities were located on the border of Malta and so had to let people in and out constantly. Whereas little known places such as Gozo and Mdina, weren't affected as they were able to get a hold of the disease quickly because they weren't close to the sea. ==History of the Epidemic==

Origin The epidemic began in the capital Valletta on 24 December 1675. Anna Bonnici, the 11-year-old daughter of the merchant Matteo Bonnici, The source of the disease is not certain. It is more likely that the disease arrived with infected rats along with some merchandise. Further cases appeared in the next few days, and on 28 January the health authorities held a secret meeting and concluded that the disease was probably the plague. Attempts to contain the epidemic began immediately and all suspected cases were isolated, but the disease continued to spread rapidly. but there were many others who maintained their daily routines, contributing to the spread of the disease. The first death outside Valletta occurred on 8 March in Attard. The disease appeared in the Three Cities, starting from Senglea on 14 February, followed by Cospicua on 8 March and Birgu on 11 March. The epidemic continued to spread throughout the rural towns and villages, including Birkirkara on 10 March, Rabat on 11 March and eventually to Kirkop, Qrendi, Qormi, Balzan, Siġġiewi, Żebbuġ and Żurrieq by the end of the month. Initial measures to contain the epidemic were ineffective, largely because there was disagreement whether the disease was actually plague. On 28 January 1676, four Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St John were appointed Plague Commissioners and were given unlimited power to safeguard the Order and the public from the disease. Two Counts and a number of public health officials were also responsible for dealing with the outbreak and for carrying out the orders given to them by the four knights. Several public health officials contracted the disease and died, and as the epidemic spread, the number of officials was doubled and more isolation hospitals were opened. Severe penalties including capital punishment were enacted against those who did not report cases to the authorities, and three men were hanged as an example. On 14 June, it was concluded that there were enough medical supplies on Malta, and the restrictions placed on certain areas of Valletta were lifted two days later. The plague lasted for eight months, and it receded in August. The last death occurred on 30 August at Ħax-Xluq near Siġġiewi. On 24 September 1676, the end of the epidemic was celebrated with the clearing of barricades, firing of guns, ringing of bells and processions. ==Impact==

Death toll Most sources agree that the epidemic killed about 11,300 people to 70,000. About 9,000 of the 22,000 people living in cities died in the epidemic, amounting to 41% of the population. In the rural settlements, about 2,000 of some 29,000 people died, or 6.9% of the population Cemeteries , is on the site of a plague cemetery. The cemetery was destroyed when the road was widened for vehicle traffic in the 20th century. During the epidemic, the deceased were usually not buried in churches as was common practice at the time. Burials were held in various locations, particularly in specially-established extramural cemeteries, around fortifications or abandoned churches. Inhabitants of Valletta were buried in a cemetery on the Isolotto (now known as Manoel Island), while those of Cospicua and Senglea were buried in cemeteries outside the cities' fortifications. The deceased of Birgu were buried at Il-Hisieli. The deceased from Birkirkara, Gudja and Qormi were buried in village cemeteries, while those in Żurrieq, Kirkop, Rabat, Mosta, Bubaqra and Attard were buried in churches, mostly ones which were disused. There was a religious revival during the epidemic, resulting in the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament and relics. The traditional mourning customs of the Maltese seem to have changed as a result of the 1676 plague. Before the epidemic, mourning periods would last for one or two years, and three days after a person died no fire would be lit in the kitchen in the house of the deceased. Women would not go out for forty days, while men would go out unshaven after eight days. These could not be practiced during the epidemic, and they were abandoned in favour of wearing black. After the outbreak, quarantine and disinfection of mail were adopted in Malta. The next major outbreak of plague in the Maltese Islands occurred in 1813–14. Don Melchiore Giacinto Calarco from Licata, Sicily wrote a poem called Melpomene idillio nella peste di Malta about the 1676 epidemic in Malta. It is dedicated to the Spanish knight Fra Don Ernaldo Mox, and it was published in Catania in 1677. ==See also==