The Pandemic Is A Disease Outbreak

A pandemic differs from epidemic because a pandemic affects a large area while an epidemic affects a localized area. Old people, young kids (approximately younger than 5) and pregnant women are more at risk of getting ill from a pandemic or epidemic. The conditions of declaring a pandemic is if the virus is able to cause serious illnesses or even deaths it has to be a virus that can be spread from human to human It also needs to have little to none immunity levels. The societal factors that will increase the pandemic are water supply, sanitation facilities, food, climate, and temperature. Water supply could be a factor because people could have contaminated the water causing the water to infectious meaning that if they drink it then they could get the disease themselves. Food because if they kill and eat an animal without killing all the bacteria in the animal then they could get the disease. Climate and temperature because sometimes if the temperature becomes too hot then that could make the bacteria increase

"Ah-choo!" Your friend just sneezed into his hand. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. Gross. Then you borrowed his math homework.

Malaria, on the other hand, was far off more deadly then Yellow fever for it consisted of parasites (Malaria). An engineer once quoted “If we could control malaria, I would be less anxious about other diseases. If we cannot control malaria, our mortality is going to very heavy” (American Canal Construction). Consequently, these infections developed in mosquito salivary glands as well and reproduce in the liver (Malaria). Above all, this incubation period could last for months to a year at a time (Malaria). When the parasites leave the liver they reenter the bloodstream where they are able to infect red blood cells to reproduce once again until the cell bursts (Malaria). As a result, it caused anemia and jaundice from the lack of blood cells (Malaria). Other symptoms include seizures, confusion, coma and death (Malaria).

It is caused by a parasite that infects certain mosquitos that feed on humans. People infected with malaria usually suffer from high fevers, shaking chills, achy muscles, headaches, tiredness, and flu-like illness. It may also cause jaundice and anemia. The malaria parasite is found in the red blood cells of a person which means it can be transmitted through blood transfusions, organ transplants, or the shared use of needles syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria is not contagious; it cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Some parasites can remain dormant in the infected person’s body for up to four years after they are bitten. When the parasite comes out of hibernation and begins to invade the red blood cells, the person will become sick.

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 is still being discussed. In the public health sector it is used as an example of the viruses potential power, if we do not continue to prepare, educate the public and vaccinate on a global scale. Let’s think back to that time were science and technology was not as advanced. Quarantine and isolation measures meant little to no travel, remaining home and less time spent in the public, “diagnosing influenza became even more difficult because an especially virulent form of the disease had erupted” (Untied States Department of Health and Human Services, 2015).

Margaret Chan once said, "after all it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic.” One’s complete humanity is irreparably changed by a pandemic. Throughout time, from the Middle Ages, to the Modern Era, mankind has been plagued with pandemics. In the time of the Middle Ages, from 1328-1351, the infamous pandemic was The Bubonic Plague, otherwise known as The Black Death, which claimed 200 million lives in Europe and 35 million in China.1 The Zika virus is a current pandemic most prominently found in Central and South America that causes birth defects.2 The Ebola virus is a pandemic found predominantly in West Africa that has claimed the lives of thousands.3 The causes and effects of pandemics over time have changed very

Discuss a recent epidemic/pandemic of interest to your profession, what role did members of your profession play in this event, and how prepared do you believe these HCPs were for this role?

This specific pandemic was described as

Over 50% of the world’s population is now living in urban areas, this provides for closer proximity of neighbors, confinement in transportation; buses, trains, carpools, and the limited ability to quarantine and control isolation. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2002 and 2003, which was believed to have originated in rural China, demonstrated how dense urban living could ignite a global health crisis (Ronak B. Patel, M.D., M.P.H., and Thomas F. Burke, M.D.). In poorer areas, resources are limited, and it is difficult to contain outbreaks, education and prevention are minimal, and treatment is dependent upon responding countries, and NGOs. Pandemics are not just the problem of the countries affected; all countries have a concern, both financially and medically. As seen recently, with the spread of the Ebola virus, the spread of disease is only limited by the traveler; with the ease and ability to fly from country to country, an outbreak is inevitable. In the slums of third world countries, the lack of reporting and adequate health care will lead to the spread of undetected diseases. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, it is estimated that up to 100 million people worldwide and 670,000 people in the U.S.A. died (Siddharth Chandra). A

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define epidemic as “the occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time.” Epidemic of an infectious disease can be precipitated by a change in the host population, for example, an increase in the density of a vector species or an introduction of a new parasite due to an ecological disaster (flooding, famine, earthquake, etc). Epidemic can also be caused by human behavior (population growth and migration, war, sexual behavior, urban decay, etc), international travel (movement of goods and people), technology and industry (widespread use of antibiotics, organ/tissue transplantation, food processing/packaging, etc), and microbial evolution (adaptation of microbial organism to the environment). In the recent years, delayed or inadequate prevention programs or lack of effective communications between the public health agencies has contributed to the insurgence of epidemics.

Since the beginning of civilization, humanity has battled with the forces of nature in order to survive. One of the most terrifying of these forces is disease. Diseases can come in many different forms. They are caused by many things, such as viruses, bacteria, and some are even non-infectious and can be transmitted genetically. A select few of these ailments, called pandemics, are highly contagious and can afflict mass amounts of people in a short period of time. One example of a pandemic is the Black Death. It swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing an estimated 75 million people and causing the collapse of the Feudal system. The Black Death is considered one of the deadliest pandemics in history because of the speed of its

Globalization aided in impacting human health by population mobility. The source of epidemics throughout history can be traced back to human migration (Saker). The effects of these epidemics have changed whole societies. International efforts to prevent the spreading of infections from one country to another have been focused on. Early diseases that spread between Asia and Europe included the bubonic plague, influenzas of various types, and other similar contagious diseases. The world is more interdependent and connected than ever in the era of globalization. This is because inexpensive and efficient transportation allows access to almost everywhere and the increase of global trade of agricultural products brought an increasing number of people into contact with animal disease. Trade routes had long been established between Europe and Asia along which diseases were unintentionally transmitted. The management of malaria is a global role (Carter). Global institutions support the

The movie Contagion gives a perspective of a worldwide pandemic as it begins and spreads throughout the world while displaying signs of evolution. The movie begins with a woman, Beth, traveling home from a business trip in Hong Kong. Beth becomes sick with what she thinks is the flu. However, she suffers from a seizure and dies suddenly from an unknown cause. Her son along with several other cases around the world suddenly die after having similar symptoms Her husband Mitch discovers that he is completely immune to the disease. Over the next few days the virus gains the attention of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the governments of the world. With little known about the virus, the CDC and the WHO struggle to find the origin of the virus or how it works. The disease MEV-1 soon becomes a pandemic as the disease transfers rapidly from human to human through fomites. Society collapsed, which led to complete chaos and instability for not only people but also governments around the world . After several months, a vaccine was created and mass produced and distributed to the general public. The CDC was eventually able to trace the pathogen to the origin and patient zero, Beth.

The world has experienced a total of four pandemics within the twentieth century. These pandemics, as horrific and deadly as they are, have brought so much more positive advances to our health care system and how we prepare for biological threats. Although we are in the twenty-first century and we have advanced so far in healthcare, there is still the possibility of a deadly pandemic.

Of the many diseases spread by insects, none are actually caused by the insects themselves but by other organisms passed on when they feed or bite. Insects are capable of spreading diseases caused by many different types of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, protozoan and others. Mosquitoes have earned the title of "the most deadly creature on earth." This is due to the fact that they spread serious epidemic diseases such as Malaria, Yellow Fever, African Sleeping Sickness, and West Nile Virus.