Causes and prevention of Common Diseases abd Epidemics in Human
Epidemics, Pandemics, and Outbreaks
You probably know that COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is a
pandemic. But what’s the difference between a pandemic, an epidemic, and an outbreak? And when
does a disease become a public health concern? Here are the basics of the spread of serious diseases
and what you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your community.
Let’s start with the meanings of each word.
An outbreak is when an illness happens in unexpected high numbers. It may stay in one area or
extend more widely. An outbreak can last days or years. Sometimes, experts consider a single case
of a contagious disease to be an outbreak. This may be true if it’s an unknown disease, if it’s new to
a community, or if it’s been absent from a population for a long time.
An epidemic is when an infectious disease spreads quickly to more people than experts would
expect. It usually affects a larger area than an outbreak.
A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents. It affects more people
and takes more lives than an epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-
19 to be a pandemic when it became clear that the illness was severe and that it was spreading
quickly over a wide area.
The number of lives lost in a pandemic depends on:
How many people are infected
How severe of an illness the virus causes (its virulence)
How vulnerable certain groups of people are
Prevention efforts and how effective they are
The WHO’s pandemic alert system ranges from Phase 1 (a low risk) to Phase 6 (a full pandemic):
Phase 1: A virus in animals has caused no known infections in humans.
Phase 2: An animal virus has caused infection in humans.
Phase 3: There are scattered cases or small clusters of disease in humans. If the illness is
spreading from human to human, it’s not broad enough to cause community-level outbreaks.
Phase 4: The disease is spreading from person to person with confirmed outbreaks at the
community level.
Phase 5: The disease is spreading between humans in more than one country of one of the
WHO regions.
Phase 6: At least one more country, in a different region from Phase 5, has community-
level outbreaks.
Prevention: Slowing the Spread of Pandemic Disease
There’s no sure way to prevent the spread of disease during an outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic. It
might take scientists a long time to make a vaccine. But it’s easier to make specific vaccines more
quickly now than it was several years ago. Once a vaccine is ready, people and groups who are
more likely to become ill will get it first.
In the meantime, you can take other steps to stay healthy:
Wash your hands often with soap and water. If that’s not an option, use an alcohol-based
hand cleaner or gel sanitizer. Rub it on your hands until they’re dry.
Don't touch your mouth, nose, and eyes unless you've just washed your hands.
When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Then throw the tissue
in the trash. Wash your hands afterward.
Avoid crowded places. Stay home if you can.
Clean and disinfect household surfaces every day.
If you get sick:
Stay home and away from other people. If you want to talk to your doctor, call before you
go to their office. But if you have severe symptoms like trouble breathing, call 911 or go to
an emergency room right away.
Wear a face mask if you have to go out for medical care. Avoid public transportation, ride-
hailing, and taxis.
Have only one person care for you, if possible.
Wash your hands often, and keep household surfaces clean and disinfected.
Pandemic Preparation
A pandemic causes economic and social problems because so many people are ill or can’t work.
Here are a few things you can do to help your family and your community before and during a
pandemic:
Make an emergency contact list.
Find local aid organizations in case you need information, support, or health services.
Find out whether you can work from home.
Plan home learning activities in case school is closed.
Store extra water, food, medicine, and supplies.
Stay as healthy as you can by getting rest, managing stress, eating right, and exercising.
Help seniors and neighbors by sharing information and resources.
For more information on what to do in a pandemic, call the CDC Hotline at 800-CDC-INFO (800-
232-4636) or go to [Link].
Related Definitions
Many diseases are so common that we barely think about them. You might hear experts use one of
these terms to describe them:
Sporadic means cases are rare and happen unevenly.
Endemic means a disease is constant and happens about as often as expected.
Hyperendemic means an illness is constant but people are getting sick at a higher rate.
Cases can also come in a cluster, a group of illnesses in a certain place and time.
Notable Past Pandemics
The list of the deadliest pandemics in world history includes:
The Black Death. Experts think the plague, sparked by bacteria called Yersinia pestis, is to
blame for the illness that tore through Europe in 1347-51. An estimated 25 million people
died.
The influenza pandemic of 1918. At least 50 million people around the world died of flu
during the outbreak of 1918-19. It’s often called the “Spanish flu,” not because the virus
started there but because Spain was one of the first countries to announce cases.
Smallpox. The smallpox pandemic stretched over hundreds of years. Experts estimate that it
killed as many as 300 million people in the 20th century alone. Thanks to widespread
vaccine use, it was declared eradicated in 1980.
HIV and AIDS. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS), and related illnesses have killed about 32 million people around the
world.
Concept of Balance Diet
A balanced diet can be defined as one which contains different types of foods in such quantities
and proportions that the need for calories, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients is adequately
met and a small provision is made for extra nutrients to withstand short duration of leanness.
Concept of a Balanced Diet
If you look at the defination carefully, you would realize that a balanced diet
consists of different types of food items
meets the need for nutrients and
provides for periods of leanness when the diet may possibly not supply adequate
amounts of all nutrients.
Let us talk about each of these aspects.
A balanced diet consists of different types of food items: A balanced diet includes a variety
of foods. But how do we select these foods? The major aim is to ensure that all nutrients are
supplied. This can be achieved by first classifying food into groups--each group supplying
certain specific nutrients and then selecting items from each food group to plan a balanced
meal or diet. Including items from each food group ensures that all the nutrients will be
supplied. These aspects will be clearer when you read through subsection which discusses the
use of food groups in planning balanced diets.
A balanced diet meets the nutrient needs: A balanced diet meets nutrient needs because of
the amounts and proportions of the foods selected.
How much should a person consume of individual foods to meet his needs? This would be
based on the recommended dietary intakes (RDIs) laid down for the individual for whom the
diet is planned. You will study more about RDIs in the subsection.
Balanced diets provide for periods of leanness: We have now examined the first two aspects
of the definition of a balanced diet. Balanced diets also provide for periods of leanness. This
implies that there is a "safety margin" or a "little extra" for those times when you do not meet
your nutrient needs adequately. A normal individual consumes a variety of foods. It is possible
that on a given day he may not consume foods in the amounts he requires. How, then, can we
provide for
such periods of leanness? Actually we do not need to make any special adjustments because
RDIs already include a margin of safety. Planning diets on the basis of RDIs would take care of
this aspect as well.