A pandemic is a horrifying term
We're conditioned through movies books and history to know it means disease death and mass panic
I mean the word pandemic literally has the word 'panic' in it
But what exactly is one? How was it declared?
And what happens if there is a pandemic?
In order for a pandemic to occur
It needs to start with an outbreak
If we look at the disease Covid-19 the outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China
from the SARS CoV 2 virus
A viral outbreak requires a new virus that
Humans do not have immunity to that is able to infect humans
cause disease in humans and spread from human to human quite easily
If the disease spreads within an initial community or within a
Specific region or country it's known as an epidemic
Surprisingly for something to move from being an epidemic to a pandemic
It has nothing to do with the severity of the disease, but rather its geographic spread
The exact definition varies within organization to organization
But in general if a virus begins to spread across international borders and around the world
Only then is it considered a pandemic but it actually isn't that simple
If you contracted Covid-19 in China
But then went home to america and spread it to someone there
That doesn't count as crossing international borders
It becomes a pandemic when people start to get infected by people who have no traces to the infected countries or the
Initial epidemic center
An example of this is community spread when someone gets a disease, but the source of the infection is unknown
It might help for us to look at some historical pandemics. Some of these pandemics actually happened thousands of years ago
For example the Antonine plague
Which happened to the Roman Empire when troops returned home from the east
It's estimated that this pandemic killed five million people
Across Greece, Italy, Egypt, and modern-day Turkey
We don't exactly know what caused the pandemic but researchers think that it was smallpox
Then of course you have perhaps the most famous pandemic the Spanish flu in 1918
Which isn't actually named so because it started in Spain. It's believed that it may
have originated in an army camp in Kansas
Which was then brought over to Europe by troops
But it's named the Spanish flu because Spain a neutral country during World War one
Openly reported on its occurrence while other countries censored or tried to hide it. This time
500 million people were infected and an estimated 50 to 100 million died
Which was more people than World War 1 killed
What was perhaps the scariest part was that it actually had a second wave in October
So the first wave affected people who were primarily elderly or really young or sick
But the second wave actually affected people between the ages of 20 to 40 severely. Interestingly
The war is often considered a contributing factor
Not only because troops were moving around the world with improved transportation and technology
But soldiers were actually more prone to getting the flu because of stress, malnourishment and chemical attacks
But just as fast as the Spanish flu hit its worst point it quickly died out
After the peak of the second wave in October places went from having thousands of deaths
To none. One theory suggests that the virus actually
Mutated away from its most lethal strains as people died out with those lethal strains
All that was left over was more mild versions
But now in our modern world when does a pandemic get
Officially declared? We look to agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The World Health Organization or the European Centre for Prevention and Disease Control to declare a pandemic
But different scientists, epidemiologists
Or collectives could technically declare one based on their own judgments
You may think this would be an easy decision
Once it acts like a pandemic call it a pandemic but
These viruses are hard to trace especially if the disease has a long incubation
Period or causes minor symptoms leaving diagnosis untraced.
There are other issues with claiming a pandemic as well
For example, the WHO came under a lot of scrutiny in 2009 when the H1N1 virus was declared a pandemic
This is because it led to some
Unnecessary panic and a lot of countries ended up spending
Money to develop a vaccine for the flu when it ended up being fairly mild and easy to contain
Official classification of a pandemic by institutions depends on a variety of factors
But surprisingly it's simply a label and actually has no legal implications. The WHO has declared
Covid-19 a public health emergency of international concern which in many ways is more important
It allows them to start making recommendations to member countries on how to handle the disease and also mobilize funding and political support
But when a pandemic is declared
It does mean the disease has spread to many countries around the world and that's significant
We obsess over the word because it holds power
Declaring a pandemic could cause unnecessary panic which has many downsides but, on the other hand
It could also allow the citizens of the world to mentally and
Physically prepare for the spread of the virus and disease and this might actually help with mitigation
There are pros and cons to the declaration of a pandemic but that brings us to the next question is what do you do when
Organizations start declaring a pandemic? First off you need to listen to healthcare professionals
They are on the front line of these situations and are prepared to work with epidemiologists,
Researchers, and scientists to effectively curb the disease. Be wary of unverified
exaggerations and disinformation online. Again
If one is declared nothing will legally change but naturally people will act accordingly
Hospitals around the world will become the front line of defense putting the sickest first
And postponing unnecessary surgeries and appointments
Hospitals will also be extremely busy
So households, businesses, and communities will also need to work
Independently to decrease spread. Social isolation will become more normal and mass gatherings will be canceled
We'll all have to get used to washing our hands
Effectively and all the time and learn to not
Touch our face. The world will get better at normalizing not greeting each other with a
Handshake a little elbow touch or just a little nod
How do you do? There will be an emotional reaction as we prepare to potentially care for sick family members
Which is actually a good mental exercise in order to keep our families safe and the hospitals less strained
Offices will need to make plans for when workers are sick or off to take care of their family members all while the world works
Together to make a vaccine and antiviral medication to help curb the disease. Of course
There's no use in unnecessary panic but declaring a pandemic is a useful way to have the
World come together and work together in containing the disease or virus
So what should you be doing personally?
Make sure you're listening to legitimate organizations like the CDC, WHO, and ECDC for up-to-date information and recommendations
It's possible that advice will change from day to day and staying up-to-date with accurate sources is the most important
Thank you for watching
Make sure you're subscribed and you can also sign up for our mailing list below so that you get email notified
When we make a new science video and let us know if you have topics or questions
You want us to cover
Leave them in the description below and maybe we'll answer your burning question
We'll see you next time for a new video