The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a coronavirus pandemic. What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic, and when can it be announced? What does this mean for the sick?
Pandemic - what are the reasons for the announcement?
In the event of a pandemic, the extent of the virus is primarily critical. If a given disease poses a threat to people living in different parts of the world, these are the first reasons to recognise that we are dealing with a pandemic. For the official announcement of a pandemic, it is necessary to meet a few additional conditions. Diseases that have been identified as pandemics are primarily characterised by their spreading rate and long contagious period, which also includes the time when patients have no signs of infection.
Pandemic is announced very rarely because of the very firepower of the word makes a huge impression. In this regard, the World Health Organisation approached this very conservatively. Until today. The CEO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, passed on information about the coronavirus pandemic.
The development of a pandemic occurs in four stages:
In the initial phase, we are dealing with a local epidemic.
The virus is found in several countries around the world.
There are secondary outbreaks in various places around the world.
Secondary outbreaks occur on at least two continents.
Pandemic and the epidemic - what's the difference?
We speak of an epidemic if there is an above-average number of people infected with a given disease at a given time and in a specific area. For example, the flu epidemic appears regularly in Poland. As a rule, in the winter season, there is a sharp increase in the incidence of this disease. However, the extent of this virus is limited to a specific region. In turn, a pandemic is an epidemic of a given disease, which at the same time covers extensive areas: countries, continents, and even the whole world.
In addition to the pandemic and epidemic, there is also the term "endemic" - covering a specific disease in a small area, recurring from time to time at a similar number of cases.
The most significant pandemics in history.
Over the past 10 years, the WHO has been close to announcing a pandemic five times. It has reported in its announcements about the incoming threat. This concerned the following cases:
2019 - Eboli virus
2016 - Zika virus
2014 - Eboli virus
2014 - poliovirus
2009 - swine flu virus A / H1N1
The World Health Organisation for the last time in 2009 decided to declare a pandemic officially. At the time, it concerned the threat associated with the spread of the swine influenza A / H1N1 virus. Cases of illness appeared then on all inhabited continents. It is difficult to estimate the exact number, but it is estimated that as a result of infection with this virus worldwide died from 151,000—up to 575,000 people.
Then the WHO decision aroused much controversy. Some commentators later accused them of causing international panic. It was also said that the World Health Organisation exposed many countries to make unjustified financial outlays.
Take care of yourself and isolate yourself whenever possible.
Thanks for your time.
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