{"id":41068,"date":"2023-08-03T14:57:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T09:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T14:57:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T09:12:34","slug":"pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic- Definition, Features, Causes, Effects, Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#pandemic-definition\" title=\"Pandemic Definition\">Pandemic Definition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#features-of-pandemics\" title=\"Features of Pandemics\">Features of Pandemics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#common-causes-of-pandemics\" title=\"Common Causes of Pandemics\">Common Causes of Pandemics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#effect-of-pandemics\" title=\"Effect of Pandemics\">Effect of Pandemics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#examples-of-pandemic-disease\" title=\"Examples of Pandemic Disease\">Examples of Pandemic Disease<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#the-influenza-pandemic\" title=\"The Influenza Pandemic\">The Influenza Pandemic<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/#references\" title=\"References\">References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"pandemic-definition\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pandemic Definition<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>An epidemic usually affecting a large proportion of the population, occurring over a wide geographic area such as a section of a nation, the entire nation, a continent, or the world is called a pandemic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The word pandemic comes from the Greek&nbsp;pandemos&nbsp;meaning &#8220;pertaining to all people.&#8221; The Greek word&nbsp;pan&nbsp;means &#8220;all&#8221; and the Greek word&nbsp;demos&nbsp;means &#8220;people.&#8221;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is the worldwide spread of a new disease.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Throughout history, there have been a number of pandemics, such as smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza, etc.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the most devastating pandemics was the&nbsp;Black Death, which killed over 75 million people in 1350.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The most recent pandemics include the HIV pandemic as well as the 1918,&nbsp; 2009 H1N1 pandemics and COVID-19 pandemics.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Besides humans, pandemics can also occur in important agricultural organisms (livestock, crop plants, fish, and tree species) or in other organisms.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pandemic-definition-features-causes-effects-examples.webp\" alt=\"Pandemic- definition, features, causes, effects, examples\" class=\"wp-image-29290\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"features-of-pandemics\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Features of Pandemics<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pandemics are\u00a0usually caused by a novel infectious agent, an infectious agent that is newly capable of spreading rapidly, or both.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The death toll in a pandemic is generally higher than that in an <a href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/epidemic-causes-types-and-response\/\">epidemic<\/a>. It can also lead to more social disruption, economic loss, and general hardship.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increased travel and mobility have increased the likelihood of new diseases spreading.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Antibiotic\u00a0resistance increases the risk of future pandemics.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious. <\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For instance,\u00a0cancer\u00a0is responsible for many deaths but is not considered a pandemic because the disease is not infectious or contagious.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"common-causes-of-pandemics\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Common Causes of Pandemics<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pandemic is usually caused by a new virus strain or subtype that becomes easily transmissible between humans.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Due to bacteria that\u00a0become resistant\u00a0to antibiotic treatment.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sometimes, pandemics are caused simply by a new ability to spread rapidly, such as with the Black Death.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pandemics arise when humans may have little or no immunity against a new virus. Often a new virus cannot spread between people, but if it changes, or mutates, it may start to spread easily. In this case, a pandemic can result.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"effect-of-pandemics\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Effect of Pandemics<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fatality from a pandemic depends upon:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The number of people who become infected<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The severity of disease caused by the virus (its virulence)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The vulnerability of affected populations<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The effectiveness of preventive steps<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"examples-of-pandemic-disease\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Examples of Pandemic Disease<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-influenza-pandemic\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The Influenza Pandemic<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are three groups of influenza viruses \u2014 A, B, and C.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Each of these groups can cause illness in humans, but only group A viruses are associated with major epidemics or pandemics.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Influenza A viruses infect humans and other animals, notably birds and swine.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Influenza A viruses are continually undergoing evolutionary changes in their two major antigenic constituents \u2013 hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are 16 H strains and 9 N strains of influenza A viruses currently recognized.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The viruses are named according to their H and N components, as well as the location where they were originally isolated.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The evolutionary changes in H or N (drift) may result in a sufficiently changed antigenic structure that immunity from prior infections may not protect all those who come in contact with it, contributing to annual epidemics.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In addition, simultaneous infection with two different influenzas A viruses (in humans or other animals) may result in a reassortment of H and N components \u2014 antigenic shift \u2014 giving rise to a novel strain against which no one has immunity.&nbsp; I<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In this circumstance, pandemics of influenza may occur.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The World Health Organization (WHO) provides an influenza pandemic alert system, with a scale ranging from Phase 1 (low risk of a flu pandemic) to Phase 6 (a full-blown pandemic):<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 1:&nbsp;A virus in animals has caused no known infections in humans.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 2:&nbsp;An animal flu virus has caused infection in humans.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 3: Sporadic cases or small clusters of the disease occur in humans. Human-to-human transmission, if any, is insufficient to cause community-level outbreaks.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 4:&nbsp;The risk for a pandemic is greatly increased but not certain.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 5:&nbsp;Spread of disease between humans is occurring in more than one country of one WHO region.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Phase 6: Community-level outbreaks are in at least one additional country in a different WHO region from phase 5. A global pandemic is underway.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"references\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/csels\/dsepd\/ss1978\/lesson1\/section11.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/csels\/dsepd\/ss1978\/lesson1\/section11.html<\/a><\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.who.int\/csr\/disease\/swineflu\/frequently_asked_questions\/pandemic\/en\/<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/cold-and-flu\/what-are-epidemics-pandemics-outbreaks#1<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/148945.php<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/pandemic-resources\/index.htm<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.apha.org\/policies-and-advocacy\/public-health-policy-statements\/policy-database\/2014\/07\/18\/09\/19\/preparing-for-pandemic-influenza<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Park, K. (n.d.).&nbsp;Park&#8217;s textbook of preventive and social medicine.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hennekens CH, Buring JE. Epidemiology in Medicine, Lippincott Williams &amp; Wilkins, 1987.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pandemic Definition An epidemic usually affecting a large proportion of the population, occurring over a wide geographic area such as a section of a nation, the entire nation, a continent, &#8230; <a title=\"Pandemic- Definition, Features, Causes, Effects, Examples\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/pandemic\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Pandemic- Definition, Features, Causes, Effects, Examples\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6262],"tags":[5210],"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pandemic-definition-features-causes-effects-examples.webp","author":{"name":"Sagar Aryal","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/862472ea06500d4318f1ad82addb608e?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"categories":[{"term_id":6262,"name":"Epidemiology","slug":"epidemiology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6262,"taxonomy":"category","description":"<strong>Epidemiology is the discipline that deals with studies related to the determinants, occurrence, and distribution of health and disease in a defined population.<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is a descriptive science and includes the determination of rates, that is, the quantification of disease occurrence within a specific population.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology can accurately describe a disease and many factors concerning its occurrence before its cause is identified.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>One goal of epidemiologic studies is to define the parameters of disease, including risk factors, in order to develop the most effective measures for control.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is a data-driven discipline that relies on a systematic and unbiased approach to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is considered the basic science of public health as\u00a0epidemiology acts as a quantitative science that relies on the knowledge of probability, statistics, and essential research methods.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Besides, epidemiology also acts as a method of reasoning based on hypotheses in the scientific fields like biology, behavioral sciences, physics, and ergonomics to explain health-related behaviors, states, and events.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Thus,\u00a0epidemiology is considered not just a research activity but an integral part of public health, providing the foundation for practical and appropriate public health actions based on data and causal reasoning.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is similar to medicine in many aspects as it utilizes experience, epidemiologic judgment, and understanding of local conditions while diagnosing the health of a community.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The discipline also helps in the proposition of appropriate, practical, and acceptable public health interventions to control and prevent disease in the community.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology has now become a standard practice during outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics as it provides an example on how to deal with a new outbreak that might arise due to a different etiological agent.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>As infections are caused by infectious agents like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, epidemiological studies also support other disciplines like bacteriology and clinical medicine.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Besides, the mode of transmission involves environmental factors like air, water, and soil, all of which are imperative in environmental microbiology.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":6262,"category_count":23,"category_description":"<strong>Epidemiology is the discipline that deals with studies related to the determinants, occurrence, and distribution of health and disease in a defined population.<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is a descriptive science and includes the determination of rates, that is, the quantification of disease occurrence within a specific population.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology can accurately describe a disease and many factors concerning its occurrence before its cause is identified.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>One goal of epidemiologic studies is to define the parameters of disease, including risk factors, in order to develop the most effective measures for control.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is a data-driven discipline that relies on a systematic and unbiased approach to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is considered the basic science of public health as\u00a0epidemiology acts as a quantitative science that relies on the knowledge of probability, statistics, and essential research methods.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Besides, epidemiology also acts as a method of reasoning based on hypotheses in the scientific fields like biology, behavioral sciences, physics, and ergonomics to explain health-related behaviors, states, and events.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Thus,\u00a0epidemiology is considered not just a research activity but an integral part of public health, providing the foundation for practical and appropriate public health actions based on data and causal reasoning.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology is similar to medicine in many aspects as it utilizes experience, epidemiologic judgment, and understanding of local conditions while diagnosing the health of a community.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The discipline also helps in the proposition of appropriate, practical, and acceptable public health interventions to control and prevent disease in the community.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Epidemiology has now become a standard practice during outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics as it provides an example on how to deal with a new outbreak that might arise due to a different etiological agent.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>As infections are caused by infectious agents like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, epidemiological studies also support other disciplines like bacteriology and clinical medicine.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Besides, the mode of transmission involves environmental factors like air, water, and soil, all of which are imperative in environmental microbiology.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","cat_name":"Epidemiology","category_nicename":"epidemiology","category_parent":0}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41068"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}