In the interest of keeping things interesting, I suggest we expand our vocabulary to other synonyms of "scourge" these can include, but should not be limited to:

noun. hurt condition; something that causes butthurt
affliction
adversity
anguish
calamity
cross
crux
depression
difficulty
disease
disorder
distress
grief
hardship
illness
infirmity
misery
misfortune
ordeal
pain
plague
plight
scourge
sickness
sorrow
suffering
torment
trial
tribulation
trouble
woe
bane
noun. cause of misery
affliction
blight
burden
bête noir
calamity
curse
despair
destruction
disaster
downfall
fatal attraction
misery
nuisance
pest
plague
poison
ruin
ruination
scourge
torment
trial
trouble
undoing
venom
woe
blight
noun. disease; plague
affliction
bane
blot on the landscape
canker
contamination
corruption
curse
decay
dump
evil
eyesore
fungus
infestation
mildew
pest
pestilence
pollution
rot
scourge
sight
withering
woe
calamity
noun. disaster; tragedy
adversity
affliction
blue ruin
cataclysm
catastrophe
collapse
cross
curtains
distress
downfall
hardship
holy mess
misadventure
mischance
misfortune
mishap
reverse
ruin
scourge
the worst
trial
tribulation
unholy mess
visitation
waterloo
woe
wreck
wretchedness
canker
noun. blistered infection
bane
blight
blister
boil
cancer
corrosion
corruption
lesion
rot
scourge
smutch
sore
ulcer
canker
verb. blight, corrupt
animalize
bestialize
consume
corrode
debase
debauch
demoralize
deprave
embitter
envenom
inflict
pervert
poison
pollute
rot
ruin
scourge
sore
stain
ulcer
vitiate

I never liked the word scourge.