Spreading Disease In The Transoceanic Exchanges

In the Transoceanic Exchanges chapter, what stood out to me the most was the rapid timeline of disease and how fast it wiped out entire populations. Some tribes who had no contact with Europeans and those diseases, experienced nearly 90% population drops, forever changing the landscape and course of history. One aspect of this epidemic I do not quite understand however, is why, given random mutation and other methods of spreading disease, did mosquito-carrying disease not make their presence known to the native Americans earlier. As the book mentions, the Caribbean and tropics were perfect breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti, which carried yellow fever. Why then, did this disease not emerge from either genetic mutation or from another host-to-human
transfer? Why did the Amerindians not have their own set of diseases they had developed immunity to that would wipe out the European settlers the same way that malaria was a barrier in Africa? Although the book mentions that the flora and fauna were less developed, it is hard to understand how an area could lack these defenses. Additionally, these chapters also go into further detail regarding the impact of diet on human health. Beyond just animal handling or farm work, the actual food people put in their bodies affected health, even when they did not understand why. Trading across both Pacific and Atlantic not only change culture and civilization, but also human health from a food standpoint. Chili peppers, tomatoes, and citrus all contained important vitamins that improved the quality of human life and the expansion of meat and protein in diets helped boost the immune system.