The Deadly Epidemics That Shaped Texas

Texas has faced wave after wave of deadly epidemics throughout its history, turning once-thriving towns into places filled with fear, quarantine camps, and overflowing hospitals.

From the devastating yellow fever outbreaks that haunted Galveston in the 1800s to the terrifying spread of cholera, smallpox, dengue fever, and influenza, epidemic diseases shaped life across the Lone Star State. Entire communities lived in fear as healthy people could become gravely ill within days, and doctors struggled to understand how these mysterious diseases spread.

From June to November of 1920, more than 6,000 rat traps were set and 40 rat trappers were hired. They captured and killed nearly 50,000 rats in six months.

In the 19th century, Texas cities like Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio were repeatedly struck by deadly outbreaks. Yellow fever was especially horrifying, killing victims in just a matter of days and causing symptoms so severe that many believed the disease was unstoppable. During Galveston’s 1853 epidemic, nearly 60 percent of the city’s population became sick. Texans battled countless other epidemics over the years, including Spanish influenza in 1918, polio outbreaks in the 1940s and 1950s, St. Louis encephalitis, HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, and eventually COVID-19 in 2020. Each epidemic brought panic, heartbreak, and major changes to public health as Texans fought to survive invisible enemies that threatened the state for generations.