Abstract

NATURE OF PANDEMIC: PAST VS PRESENT

Dr. Ripudaman*, Tasneem Siddiqui, Anam Sayed, Farjina Akhtar, Jagdish Bharsware and Aliasgar Kanchwala

ABSTRACT

An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious disease have killed more humans in history than any other cause; it is little wonder, then, that Pestilence (War, Famine and Death being the others) is considered the worst of the four dreaded horsemen of the apocalypse. Thanks to medical advances, particularly centred on vaccination and antibiotics, combined with efforts to improve the urban environment in the mid-20th and 21st century, it seemed that the era of widespread epidemics had passed. Yet at the start of the 21st century we face a return to that era, made worse by both environmental degradation and overpopulation. (HOWARD et al. 2012). Generally, an epidemic occurs when host immunity to either an established pathogen or newly emerging novel pathogen is suddenly reduced below that found in the endemic equilibrium and the transmission threshold is exceeded. An epidemic may be restricted to one location; however, if it spreads to other countries or continents and affects a substantial number of people, it may be termed a pandemic. In this article we explore why we are seeing not only the potential return of epidemics from old infectious scourges but also the emergence of new threats. This article talks about the outbreaks that have occurred in the history and 21st century. The purpose of this article is to collect all the scattered information and give a single manuscript and this single article could help the healthcare workers with the information of epidemics happened in past and present. (―Epidemic‖ Encyclopedia & Principle of epidemiology 2012).

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