Pandemic
Georgia CTAE Resource Network
Instructional Resources Office
Written by: Amanda Supra and Dr. Frank Flanders
July 2009
What is a pandemic?
• Pandemic – spread of infectious diseases
through large regions of populations; generally
from continent to continent
• Has to meet three conditions:
– Emergence of a disease new to a population
– Agents infect humans, causing serious illness
– Agents spread easily and be sustainable among
humans
What is the difference between a
pandemic and an epidemic?
Pandemics are epidemics at a much larger
scale; they affect much more people at a larger
geographical scale
– An epidemic must be a disease or condition that is NOT
infectious, such as cancer. Pandemics MUST be
infectious or contagious.
Historical Pandemics
Bubonic Plague
• A zoonotic disease (can be transferred from animals to
humans)
• Transmitted between animals and humans thru flea bites
• Incubation Period: 7-10 days after infection
• Symptoms: Bacteria enters from the bite and goes to the
nearest lymph node, which then swells up and may become
an open sore
• Treatment: antibiotics and supportive therapy.
Cholera
• Cholera is an acute intestinal
infection caused by ingesting
food or water that is
contaminated
• Incubation period: 1 – 5 days
• Symptoms: Extreme watery
diarrhea that can lead to severe
dehydration and death, vomiting
also occurs
• Treatment: oral rehydration salts
to replace lost fluids usually
results in cure; in severe cases,
intravenous administration of
fluids may be required
Yellow Fever
• A zoonotic disease transmitted by mosquitoes between humans and
monkeys
• Incubation Period: 3-6 days after infection
• Symptoms:
– “Acute Phase” – fever, muscle pain, headache, shivers, vomiting
– “Toxic Phase” – fever reappears, jaundice, bleeding, bloody vomit
• If a patient enters the “toxic phase” there is only a 50% chance they
will survive.
• Treatment: No specific treatments, though vaccination is highly
recommended as a preventive measure
Smallpox
• Smallpox is a contagious disease
caused by a virus and is said to have
originated over 3,000 years ago in
India or Egypt
• Incubation Period: 7-17 days after
exposure
• Symptoms: Fever, vomiting, severe
muscle aches, smallpox rash,
blindness
• Treatment: No treatments were ever
developed, however a vaccine was
created and successfully eradicated
the disease in 1980
Malaria
• Malaria is a zoonotic
disease caused by a
parasite and is transmitted
by the bites of infected
mosquitoes
• Incubation Period: 10-15
days after bite
• Symptoms: fever,
headache, vomiting
• If not treated, it can quickly
become life-threatening by
disrupting the blood supply
to organs
• Treatment: Antimalarial
medicine within 24 hours of
the onset of symptoms,
supportive therapy
Introduction to Influenza
• Influenza is a viral infection that affects
mainly the nose, throat, bronchi, and lungs
• Generally lasts for a week, but in the very
young, elderly, and those with serious
medical conditions, it can lead to severe
complications and death
Background on Influenza Pandemics
• Influenza pandemics are rare, but
have a high fatality rate.
• Three flu pandemics have occurred in
the past century: The Spanish flu of
1918, Asian flu of 1957, and the 1968
Hong Kong flu.
• Death toll from the Spanish flu of 1918
was estimated to be 20-50 million
worldwide.
• Over half a million people died in the
U.S. from the Spanish Flu.
• More people died from the Spanish flu
than were killed in World War I.
H5N1 Avian Influenza
(Bird Flu)
• Important Points to Remember:
– There is no bird flu present in the
U.S. today.
– The U.S. does NOT import poultry
products from other countries.
– There is no danger of getting bird flu
from eating chicken. You cannot get
bird flu from properly cooked chicken.
Cooking would kill any virus.
– Keep all poultry products properly
refrigerated and cook thoroughly
before eating.
Introduction to Bird Flu
• Bird flu is a lethal variant of the flu virus
that poses a major threat to the world’s
population.
• The deadly flu pandemic of 1918 (the
Spanish flu) was a strain related to bird
flu.
• Bird flu has reappeared in the past
decade, and there is growing concern
that another pandemic will occur in the
near future.
• Education about bird flu will
be important in an outbreak to
help prevent infection and
control panic.
• Scientists have stated that we
are “overdue” for another flu
pandemic.
What causes avian influenza?
•Wild birds such as ducks and geese
have been shown to be “silent
carriers” of the virus.
• Wild birds can spread the virus to
domestic poultry flocks.
• Bird flu is especially devastating to
domestic poultry.
• In the 1997 Hong Kong outbreak,
every chicken was killed to prevent
the spread to humans.
What causes avian influenza?
•Two forms of the virus can be
found in birds. One form is mild
while the other is extremely
contagious and rapidly fatal.
• A strain known as the H5N1
virus has caused widespread
domestic poultry outbreaks since
2003.
• The H5N1 is a zoonotic strain. It
has the unique ability to cross the
species barrier from birds to
humans.
H5N1 Pandemic Potential
• Research shows that the H5N1 virus could have pandemic
potential.
• The virus that infects birds has mutated into a strain that is
contagious to humans.
• If the virus adapts into a contagious strain capable of infecting
humans, the H5N1 virus will no longer be a “bird flu.” It will be a
“human flu.”
H1N1 Swine Influenza A
(Swine Flu)
•
Important Points to
Remember:
– There is no danger of getting
swine flu from eating pork.
Properly cooking any meat
would kill viruses.
– There is no danger in touching
pigs, though you should avoid
sneezing, sick-looking animals.
– Generally, the H1N1 virus is
spread by human-to-human
contact, not swine-to-human
contact
Introduction to Swine Flu
• Swine flu is also a
lethal variant of the flu
virus that may
potentially pose a
major threat to the
world’s population
• The technical term for
the most recent 2009
outbreak is the H1N1
virus
Introduction to Swine Flu
• There have only been four major
variations of the flu found in
swine: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and
H3N1
• The symptoms that appear tend
to be very similar to a regular flu:
fever, cough, sore throat, body
aches, etc. The major difference,
however, is that if left untreated,
the H1N1 virus has a bigger
probability of causing severe
problems that might lead to
death.
What causes swine influenza?
• The most recent outbreak of
the H1N1 virus formed in
Mexico.
• The form of flu that originated
in Mexico is a genetic mixture
of viruses that have been
seen in pigs, birds and
people.
• The reason why it’s being
called a “swine flu” is
because the overall structure
of the virus is of the type that
affects pigs.
H1N1 Pandemic Potential
• Researchers believe that even though the H1N1 virus is deadly, it
isn’t currently at a pandemic stage. It does, however, have the
potential of becoming a pandemic if not quickly taken care of.
• There is danger in having a strain originating from swine because
swine is similar to both humans and to other animals when it
comes to its genetics. So catching a flu from another animal, such
as a bird, and then spreading the virus to humans is possible.
Ways to prevent influenza
• Get a yearly flu vaccination – though this won’t
prevent you from getting a new strain of the
virus, it can help reduce the chance of you
catching the virus.
• Basic flu prevention can include: staying away
from people who seem to be sick with the flu,
washing hands constantly, etc.
• Masks also can be worn to prevent inhaling
germs, but may not prevent all germs from
entering the body.