Understanding Pandemics: History and Future Possibilities

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A pandemic is defined as a disease that has the ability to outbreak and spread globally. A pandemic is determined by how a particular disease spreads rather than how many lives it has claimed. A future pandemic can easily occur if and when a mutation of a new influenza A virus emerges. A pandemic of this type is easily possible to spread quickly and globally due to that when a new strand of the virus emerges, it will be highly unlikely that the human population will have a built up immunity to it. In 1918 to 1919 a flu pandemic broke out known as the Spanish flu. A majority of the people who caught this illness passed on quickly. Others passed on from complications caused by bacteria. An estimated twenty to forty percent of the world’s population contracted the illness. From 1957 to 1958 a new …show more content…

Having aching muscles in the back, arms and legs. A person may experience chills and sweats, headaches, and a dry persistent cough. Along with having fatigue and a sore throat. The treatment for the influenza virus is to get plenty of bedrest and to drink plenty of fluids. On occasion a physician may prescribe an antiviral medication like Tamiflu or Relenza; but only in the first few days that symptoms arrive. The prognosis for the influenza virus is that most people will recover fully from the influenza virus.
Once a new virus emerges, it is most likely that those who are at the highest risk of developing the disease will receive the vaccine first. The fourth challenge is to create a secondary site that can be used as a medical facility. The fifth and final challenge has to do with the disrupted economy and society. Events like traveling bans and school and business closings.
The influenza virus is most commonly spread from person to person by coughing or sneezing. The virus can also be spread by touching an object that was recently contaminated. Then accidently touching their mouth or

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