PANDEMIC DISEASES
A pandemic
diseases is defined as epidemic occurring worldwide, or over very wide areas,
crossing international boundaries and usually affecting large number of people.
NUMBER OF PANDEMIC DISEASES OCCUR
YELLOW
FEVER (1694-1878):
It is one of the
most feared disease on the planet though scientist estimate the diseases is
possible over 3000 years old . It is described by the WHO as an acute viral a haemorrhagic
disease transmitted via mosquito bites .The symptom of the disease are
headache, fever, nausea, vomiting fatigue, muscle pain and jaundice. Yellow
fever spread like wildfire in mosquitoes filled tropical areas like Caribbean
Sea and numerous countries including America . Yellow fever is estimated to
cause 200,000 cases of disease and 30,000 death each year with 90% occurred in
Africa.
PLAGUE(1720-1722)
In 1720 the Great plague of
Marscille the disease arrived on a merchant ship called Grand Saint Antoine at
French port city of Marscille. It carried infected passengers from Middle East and unloaded its cargo
which contained rat flees. Plague-carrying rat fleas soon spread
across the city, sparking an epidemic. Plague walls” were even built to try to
and contain the infection, but it still spilled over into southern France
before finally disappearing in 1722. By then, it had killed roughly 100,000
people.
Cholera(1817 - 1824):
1817-1824
(Cholera)- average (1820) The first cholera pandemic 1820 also known as the
first Asiatic cholera pandemic or Asiatic cholera, began near the city of
Calcutta (India) stemming from contaminated rice and spread throughout Southeast
Asia to the Middle East, eastern Africa and the Mediterranean coast. Cholera
highest death rate was in Thailand, Indonesia (killing 100,000 people on the
island of Java alone) and the Philippines.
SPANISH FLU (1918 – 1919):
In 20th century Spanish Flu was one
of the first pandemic in history.
It killed
around 50 million people across the world .Spain was one of the earliest countries
where the epidemic was identified .Spain freely published early accounts of the
illness as it did not enforce strict censorship of its press unlike other
nations people falsely believed the illness was specific to Spain and hence the
name Spanish flu.
The Spanish flu
pandemic was caused by an influenza a
virus known as H1N1 due to an availability of vaccine or antibiotic . the
control effort were limited to non pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation and quarantine
good personal hygiene use of disinfections and limitation of public gathering by the summer of 1919 the flu pandemic came to
an end .
ASIAN FLU(1957-1958) :
It was first identified in February
1957 in China it subsequently spread world wide . Asian Flu was caused by a
virus known as Influenza A Subtype (H2N2) .Virus spread to the United States by
1957 where it caused about 70,000 deaths around 1 million – 2milllion deaths
where reported world wide .With rapid development of vaccine against the H2N2
virus situation came to control.
HONKONG FLU(1968-1970):
It was a
global outbreak of influenza that originated in China in July 1968 and lasted
until 1970 . It was caused by a virus known as Influenza A subtype (H3N2) . All
though vaccine was developed against the virus it became available only after the pandemic had peeked
in many countries . It resulted in an estimated death of 1- 4 million death ,
most excess death are of people of age 65 and older.
CORONA VIRUS :
Corona virus are
group of viruses that causes illness
to human and animals . These corona
virus also called as novel coronavirus . The corona virus is zoonotic , that is
transmitted between animal and humans. The first coronavirus was isolated in 1930 .The corona viruses are
majorly found amongst animals. They are
seven such strains of human corona viruses are known till date.
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