The word pandemic has become an increasingly common part of our everyday life during the past almost two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, but it also has been a part of daily life for many individuals in different countries throughout the past as well. Even with that fact, most of us don’t actually know much about pandemics and what the term may actually mean. We just know the effects that hit us in our own personal lives and surroundings.
Which is often all some of us need to know, but it’s also nice to actually know a bit about the reality and facts behind this word we hear so often. Here are some facts everyone should know about pandemics to help you better understand this state of living we’ve had and others have in history.
Disease
Let’s start with an easy fact that we all at least have an idea of. Pandemics are disease outbreaks. Other terms that describe disease spreading or pop ups include outbreak and epidemic. But a pandemic is vastly different from either of these ideas, and we’ll get into more details of how it may be different coming up next.
How Far it Spreads
Pandemics are mostly determined by their reach in the world. Mainly, a pandemic is given its name because it affects either a very large area of the world or the entire world. This means it also impacts and spreads to a larger number of people than in an epidemic, and often causes more deaths or severe injury due to this fact.
Only Certain Viruses
In the definition of this type of virus outbreak, only certain viruses can be considered a pandemic. Specifically, the virus has to be new to humans or at least the specific strain or virus has to not have been around in so long that most of us have very limited immunity to it. This leads to the quick spread of the disease and huge impact that also defines pandemics.
Not Just a Virus
Epidemics and outbreaks are generally on a much smaller scale physically than a pandemic may be. This also pertains to other areas of life. Pandemics cause havoc on the economy, society as a whole, or some other non-physical impact on people and on the world or region as a whole. This is because the quick spread of disease often leads to struggles in life for many individuals.
Obviously we know a little bit about the term we are discussing today, since all of us have lived through/are living in at least one pandemic in our lifetime. But looking at some more detailed facts can really give us a better grasp on the topic at hand and what it means factually as well as subjectively. You can also use these facts to help your kids or friends’ kids actually be able to think about the pandemic at hand or pandemics in general in a more simplified way that they can truly understand.
No matter how you may choose to utilize this helpful fact list, we hope that you can find it to be interesting and useful in some way during your time spent here learning some important facts everyone should know about pandemics.