Read the passage from The American Plague.

No one would ever know precisely how many Philadelphians died of yellow fever in 1793. Many of those who traditionally kept such count—ministers, sextons, and city officials—had either fled the city or been ill themselves. The best estimates put the number of victims at between four and five thousand men, women, and children. What was clear to all was that life would never be the same. The fear had gone too deep, the losses were all too real and personal.

Which statement summarizes the central idea of this passage?

A. The yellow fever epidemic had lasting consequences for the city.
B. Ministers, sextons, and city officials should have stayed in the city.
C. The 1793 yellow fever epidemic was the deadliest plague the city had faced.
D. Men, women, and children were afraid to return to the city after the plague.