system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why aren't bacterial pandemics as common as viral epidemics?

It seems as though any modern epidemics or pandemics with importance are caused by viruses (like the Swine Flu, the Spanish Flu, HIV/AIDS, COVID), but the only bacterial epidemic I can think of is the Bubonic plague.  Is there any reason for the lack of bacterial pandemics, or am I just forgetting some that have occurred?
gpt
Bacteria can be easily killed with antibiotics in most people. 

The thing is, bacteria are living organisms with their own mechanisms of life that differ from humans, so making a medicine that kills the bacteria without the person is relatively easy. 

Viruses however aren’t exactly alive, they are protein envelopes with DNA in it. When they get in a cell they use the cell own enzymes to replicate and just provide enough DNA to build its envelope. 

That makes it a whole lot more difficult to make a medicine that kills the virus without killing the person 

Also bacteria are less tolerant to living in air droplets or on surfaces, they dry up and die. Viruses can dry up then rectivate easier. Some bacteria can form spores that can tolerate dryness so there are exceptions. 

Also immune system is much more capable of killing the bacteria without having to develop specific immunity, for viruses, you have to wait for the body to form specific antibodies. 

The plague never fully disappeared, it still shows up everywhere and gets treated with Antibiotics, so it is no longer a big problem.