The word pandemic comes from the Greek pandemos meaning "pertaining to all people". The Greek word pan means "all" and the Greek word demos means "people".
A pandemic is an outbreak of global proportions. It happens when a novel virus emerges among humans - it causes serious illness and is easily human transmissible (spreads easily from person-to-person).
What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?
A pandemic is different from an epidemic or seasonal outbreak.- Put simply, a pandemic covers a much wider geographical area, often worldwide. A pandemic also infects many more people than an epidemic. An epidemic is specific to one city, region or country, while a pandemic goes much further than national borders.
- An epidemic is when the number of people who become infected rises well beyond what is expected within a country or a part of a country. When the infection takes place in several countries at the same time it then starts turning into a pandemic.
- A pandemic is usually caused by a new virus strain or subtype - a virus humans either have no immunity against, or very little immunity. If immunity is low or non-existent the virus is much more likely to spread around the world if it becomes easily human transmissible.
- In the case of influenza, seasonal outbreaks (epidemics) are generally caused by subtypes of a virus that is already circulating among people. Pandemics, on the other hand, are generally caused by novel subtypes - these subtypes have not circulated among people before. Pandemics can also be caused by viruses, in the case of influenza, that perhaps have not circulated among people for a very long time.
- Pandemics generally cause much higher numbers of deaths than epidemics. The social disruption, economic loss, and general hardship caused by a pandemic are much higher than what an epidemic can cause.
You need to review the vocabulary from Leap chapter 6 in order to be prepared for this lecture. In addition, here are a few more vocabulary words you'll need to understand the lecture:
1. Detection
2. Surveillance
3. Incentive
4. Deity
5. A SPIKE in the number (it means a sharp increase)
6. Cataract
