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When Does an Epidemic Become a Pandemic?
The terms an epidemiologist use
- Sporadic refers to a disease that occurs infrequently or irregularly.
- Cluster refers to a disease that occurs in larger numbers even though the actual number or cause may be uncertain.
- Endemic refers to the constant presence and/or general prevalence of a disease in a geographic population.
- Hyperendemic refers to persistent, high levels of disease well above what is seen in other populations.
- Epidemic refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected.
- Outbreak is the same as an epidemic but is often used to describe a more limited geographic event.
- Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.
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Epidemic vs. pandemic
An epidemic is a broad term used to describe any problem that is actively spreading and has grown out of control.
The pandemic relates to geographic spread. It describes a disease that affects a whole country or the entire world.
Disease Event Classification
Epidemiology is the branch of medicine that handles the following:
- Incidence: the occurrence of a disease over a specified period.
- Prevalence: how many people are affected within a population.
- Control of diseases: an appropriate public health response.
Two measurable factors mostly define the level of disease occurrence:
- The pattern and speed by which a disease moves.
- The size of the susceptible population.
The terms an epidemiologist use
- Sporadic refers to a disease that occurs infrequently or irregularly.
- Cluster refers to a disease that occurs in larger numbers even though the actual number or cause may be uncertain.
- Endemic refers to the constant presence and/or general prevalence of a disease in a geographic population.
- Hyperendemic refers to persistent, high levels of disease well above what is seen in other populations.
- Epidemic refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected.
- Outbreak is the same as an epidemic but is often used to describe a more limited geographic event.
- Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.
Phases of a Pandemic
The one staging model used to direct the public health response involves the flu. The same basic model can be applied with variations to epidemics like tuberculosis or malaria.
- Phases 1 through 3 help public health officials know it is time to develop tools and action plans to respond to an impending threat.
- Phase 4 through 6 happen when action plans are implemented in coordination with the WHO.
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Spreading of diseases
Transmissible diseases existed during humankind’s hunter-gatherer days, but the shift to agrarian life 10,000 years ago created communities that made epidemics more possible.
We started build...
430 B.C.: Plague of Athens
The earliest recorded pandemic happened during the Peloponnesian War. It passed through Libya, Ethiopia, and Egypt, and it reached Athens as the Spartans laid siege. Two-thirds of the population died.
The disease, suspected to have been typhoid fever, weakened the Athenians significantly and played a big role in their defeat by the Spartans.
165 A.D.: The Antonine Plague
It may have been an early appearance of smallpox that began with the Huns.
The Huns then infected the Germans, who passed it to the Romans and then returning troops spread it throughout the Roman empire. This plague continued until about 180 A.D., claiming Emperor Marcus Aurelius as one of its victims.
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The Third Cholera Pandemic (1852-1860)
Cholera is a bacterial infection and is mainly contracted through food and water.
The largest cholera outbreak originated in India and spread beyond its borders, killing about 23 000 people ...
The Asian Flu Pandemic (1957)
The Asian Flu Pandemic was an outbreak of avian influenza that started in China and spread worldwide.
The estimated death rate was one to two million people.
Typhus fever in World War 1 (1945)
Typhus fever is spread by lice. The war brought on poor sanitation that probably led to a higher density of lice and made the transmission more prevalent.
Typhus fever caused three million deaths in Russia alone.
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A History Of Pandemics
- A Pandemic is defined as the proliferation of a disease over the whole country or the entire world.
- Diseases and illnesses have troubled humanity since the earliest days, but ...
Quarantined
- The original use of the word Quarantine was the act of anchoring a ship arrived in Venice, Italy, for 40 days before landing.
- Infectiousness of any disease is measured by the reproduction number (R0, or R naught). For example, Smallpox has an R0 of 6 whereas Measles has an R0 of 16.
- Vaccination, if available, and herd immunity can curb the spread of disease.
- Big cities, with exploding population and traffic, can lead to the rapid spread of any infectious disease.