A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads across a large region, multiple continents or worldwide. An outbreak of a pandemic disease may cause high mortality and morbidity rates in the human population. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease for which there is no existing immunity in the human population”.
The term “pandemic” is often used interchangeably with “epidemic”, but there are important differences between the two terms. An epidemic is defined 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”. Pandemics are therefore larger in scale than epidemics and affect many more people.
Pandemics can be caused by various types of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. One well-known example of a pandemic was the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Other recent examples include the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic and the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
Pandemics can have significant impacts on both individuals and communities. They can lead to widespread panic and fear, as well as disruptions to essential services such as healthcare and transportation. In severe cases, they can cause widespread death and damage to economies. It is therefore important to be prepared for potential pandemics through measures such as vaccination programmes and early detection systems