Module 7

A pandemic is the global outbreak of a disease. Pandemics are generally classified as epidemics which occur regionally instead of nationally. Pandemics are described by their geographic scale rather than the severity of illness. The smallpox outbreak after Europe's conquest in different parts of the world would therefore make it an epidemic. During the 18th century, smallpox was introduced to Australia by Great Britain. European colonization imports introduced smallpox into North America during the 17th century. The smallpox was brought to the Caribbean and South and Central America through European colonization in the 16th century. Because the spread of this disease was widespread nationally, it can be considered a pandemic. Annual seasonal influenza are epidemics, but pandemic influenza emerges when it spreads around the world and people do not have immunity to the harmful health hazards that come with it. Viruses that only spread in one region are epidemics and cannot be considered pademics. Endemic diseases are more common than pandemics.


There are various pandemics that have occured in the past. HIV and AIDS were first documented in 1981. It first appeared as a rare lung infection that weakens the immune system. HIV is passed through bodily fluids such as blood transfusions, needles, secual contac or from pregnant women to her child. HIV opens the body to infections that would normally not cause problems and AIDS is the final stage of HIV.


Smallpox was one of the biggest killer pandemics that were introduced by the Europeans after 1500. It dropped the Native American population from 100 million to 5 to 10 million. The symptoms of this virus are high fevers, body aches, and a rash. In 1796 a vaccine for the smallpox was created although the diseases continued to spread. The virus killed 2 million people globally.




Malaria was another virus that was introduced more than 4,000 years ago. It was caused by infected mosquitoes that passed down plasmodium microbes to humans. Microbes grow inside red blood cells that destroyed them during the process. During World War I, malaria immobilized various British, German, and French forces for 3 years.





Polio reached a peak in 1952. Over 58,000 cases of polio were reported and caused 3,145 deaths. This virus is caused by poliovirus poliomyelitis, which attacks the nervous system. The symptoms of this are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness, and limb pain. There is no cure for polio, but the vaccine was perfected in the 1950s and the U.S has been polio-free since 1979.






Tuberculosis is another virus that can be found in Egyptian mummies. Tuberculosis is airborne. It was a constant problem in Colonial America. at the end of the 19th century, 10% of all US deaths were attributed to tuberculosis. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacteria tuberculosis.






My experience with this pandemic has been pretty hard. It has been very hard for me to get adapted to everything, especially school. My mental health prior to the pandemic was not doing so well, so when this started my health went a little downhill. It has gotten a lot better. It has been hard for me to adapt to being indoors all the time, but it has gotten better due to the amount of sunshine we have been having. Additionally, this pandemic has forced me to get closer to my mother which has been very nice. I never thought I would have to live through something this crazy. It has brought a lot of fear to my town and my surroundings which sucks. It also sucked to not be able to celebrate my friend’s birthdays with them during this time period. This can be compared to the influenza pandemic or the AIDS pandemic. People were scared to get close to each other during the HIV/AIDS pandemic because they did not know the root of this virus. They soon realized that it could only be transmitted through fluids.





Works Cited: 
https://www.onlinemastersinpublichealth.com/epidemics/
https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525302/