PESTILENCE

[noun] [formal] - any very serious infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills large numbers of peoplePeople were forced to leave their homes because of famine and pestilence. [U]A raging pestilence had broken out in the city, causing the deaths of hundreds each day. [C](figurative) The report states that vandalism is a pestilence (= a serious and growing problem) which must be stamped out. [C]