Pathogens have been around much longer than we have that is for sure,
A pathogen is a Bacterium, Virus or Other Micro-Organism that can cause disease.
Most recently in World News is the Corona Virus. Now pathogens can be deadly and spread very easily in densely populated areas hens New York cities quickly growing infection rate. As travel became more common pathogenic dangers have grown as well. Imagine if people were flying around in planes during the Bubonic Plague that wiped out a third of Europe's population in the 1300s.
That Plague was transferred from ticks to rats which eventually spread to humans. Many suspect the corona virus was transferred to humans in a similar manor, from animal to human.
Another Virus which happened previously was the H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009 which infected over 750 million people and killed over 250 thousand in over 200 countries.
The CDC recommends washing hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Sanitizing with a minimum 60% solution and avoiding contact with eyes, mouth and nose with unwashed hands. It is also recommended to avoid close contact with people who are infected or may be infected and last but not least clean and disinfect surfaces used on a regular basis.
Take care Everyone and get Educated as your first line of defense in anything is knowledge!
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-chart-shows-how-the-wuhan-virus-compares-to-other-recent-outbreaks