Weird History | Vampire Epidemic | Were people who had rabies actually vampires? | Vampire Origin

We dive into the fascinating and eerie world of the Vampire Epidemic of Eastern Europe. For centuries, people across the region were plagued by terrifying tales of undead creatures feeding on the blood of the living. But what was the cause of this epidemic?

We explore the theory that rabies could be mistaken for vampirism. Rabies is a viral infection that can be spread through the bite of an infected animal, and its symptoms include fever, agitation, and hallucinations. In its later stages, it can even cause hydrophobia, an extreme fear of water.

These symptoms are remarkably similar to those described in vampire folklore, and it's not hard to see how people could mistake someone suffering from rabies for a vampiric creature. The fear and hysteria spread across Eastern Europe, with villagers digging up the graves of suspected vampires and burning their bodies in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

In this clip from our full podcast we compare and contrast rabies with vampire lore.

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