Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk who, in 1551, died of the sweating sickness hours before his brother Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk.(Google)

The Dreaded Sweat: the Other Medieval Epidemic

It was an epidemic in its own time called The Sweating Disease. It claimed both royal and non-royal lives in its peak. Some journals have stated that It was partly blamed on a type of field mouse, now extinct, in France and England - as extinct as the Sweating Disease itself. Whether it’s still around with a different name, no one knows.

The Scourge of the 15th Century, Sweating Disease devastated people and was almost, but not quite, as deadly as the Black Plague. But they share one common aspect: they were both atttributed to rodents. It has been hypothesized that these infections might be associated with hantavirus infections; however, as the illness no longer exists, this is somewhat speculative.

Scientists have claimed that these would have been treated easily by antibiotics and/or antivirals but, again, this is supposition based on contemporary accounts of the illness.

Source: Quora