What is a pandemic?
Pandemics are large-scale outbreaks of infectious disease that can greatly increase morbidity and mortality over a wide geographic area and cause significant economic, social, and political disruption. Evidence suggests that the likelihood of pandemics has increased over the past century because of increased global travel and integration, urbanization, changes in land use, and greater exploitation of the natural environment.
Pandemics come with a colossal amount of impacts Pandemics can cause economic damage through multiple channels, including short-term fiscal shocks and longer-term negative shocks to economic growth. Individual behavioural changes, such as fear-induced aversion to workplaces and other public gathering places, are a primary cause of negative shocks to economic growth during pandemics. Some pandemic mitigation measures can cause significant social and economic disruption. In countries with weak institutions and legacies of political instability, pandemics can increase political stresses and tensions. In these contexts, outbreak response measures such as quarantines have sparked violence and tension between states and citizens. There have been many pandemics that I have taken lives of millions of people, some of the worst pandemics in the history are:
- Black Death- Black Death, it killed about 75-200millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages. It caused by is an infectious disease caused by a specific type of bacterium called Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis can affect humans and animals and is spread mainly by fleas. Bubonic plague is one type of plague. It gets its name from the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) caused by the disease. The nodes in the armpit, groin and neck can become as large as eggs and can ooze pus.
- Spanish Flu- The Spanish flu was the name given to a form of influenza (flu) caused by an H1N1 virus that started in some type of bird (avian origin). The Spanish flu was a pandemic a new influenza A virus that spread easily and infected people throughout the world. Because the virus was new, very few people, if any, had some immunity to the disease. From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people globally. This amounted to about 33% of the world’s population at the time. In addition, the Spanish flu killed about 50 million people. About 675,000 of the deaths were in the U.S.. Just like the flu we get today, the Spanish flu was particularly harmful to infants under age 5 and people over the age of 65. One thing that was different about the Spanish flu was that it also killed a large number of healthy adults, aged 20 to 40 years.
- HIV/AIDS- It started in 1981-present and it caused death of 43 million. It is spread worldwide. It’s caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, also called HIV. HIV damages the immune system so that the body is less able to fight infection and disease. If HIV isn’t treated, it can take years before it weakens the immune system enough to become AIDS.. This type of infection is called a sexually transmitted infection as it spread unprotected intercourse, also called an STI. HIV is spread through contact with blood, such as when people share needles or syringes. It is also possible for a person with untreated HIV to spread the virus to a child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. There’s no cure for HIV/AIDS. But medicines can control the infection and keep the disease from getting worse. Antiviral treatments for HIV have reduced AIDS deaths around the world. There’s an ongoing effort to make ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS more available in resource-poor countries.
- COVID-19- It started in the year 2019-present and caused death 7-35 million people worldwide. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illness in humans. They are called “corona” because of crown-like spikes on the surface of the virus. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the common cold are examples of coronaviruses that cause illness in humans. The new strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It has since spread to every country around the world. Coronaviruses are often found in bats, cats and camels. The viruses live in but don’t infect the animals. Sometimes these viruses then spread to different animal species. The viruses may change (mutate) as they transfer to other species. Eventually, the virus can jump from animal species and begin to infect humans. In the case of SARS-CoV-19, the first people infected are thought to have contracted the virus at a food market that sold meat, fish and live animals.
There many more deadly pandemics that has taken numerous amount of life .Vaccines have played a crucial role in overcoming theses pandemic. Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting you against harmful diseases, before you come into contact with them. It uses your body’s natural defences to build resistance to specific infections and makes your immune system stronger. Vaccines train your immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications. Most vaccines are given by an injection, but some are given orally (by mouth) or sprayed into the nose. Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defences to build protection. When you get a vaccine, your immune system responds. It:
- Recognizes the invading germ, such as the virus or bacteria.
- Produces antibodies. Antibodies are proteins produced naturally by the immune system to fight disease.
- Remembers the disease and how to fight it. If you are then exposed to the germ in the future, your immune system can quickly destroy it before you become unwell.
The vaccine is therefore a safe and clever way to produce an immune response in the body, without causing illness. Our immune systems are designed to remember. Once exposed to one or more doses of a vaccine, we typically remain protected against a disease for years, decades or even a lifetime. This is what makes vaccines so effective. Rather than treating a disease after it occurs, vaccines prevent us in the first instance from getting sick.
Public health focuses on helping individuals and the community stay healthy, and preventing them from threats to their health. It involves both the prevention and improvement of peoples’ health. Public health is a clinical medical specialism, one do not need to be a doctor or nurse to work in public health. why it’s so important, and why we constantly need more people working within the public health.
1. Fighting diseases
Public Health studies plays a major role in fighting off the biggest killers of humans. Public Health professionals, who have either studied a Public Health degree or Health Studies related course, are constantly battling against diabetes, cancer, heart disease and dementia to maintain the health and well-being of the population.
2. Prevention before cure
Another fundamental quality of Public Health is its preventative nature. Prevention is far more effective and far less expensive than cure. Public Health helps detect health issues as early as possible and responds appropriately to avoid the development of disease.
3. Longer lives
Public Health is important due to aiding and prolonging life. Through the prevention of health issues, individuals can spend more of their years in good health.
4. Diversity and equality
Public Health is important because its constantly striving to close the inequality gap between people and encourage equal opportunities for children, all ethnicities and genders. It also takes into account the health of the whole population, rather than focusing on health at an individual level.
Mannat Giroti
Sri Ram School – Aravali
