Pandemic: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

A pandemic is the spread of a disease over a very large area. True influenza (flu) occurs as a pandemic about every 25 to 30 years. Vaccination, clean drinking water, and physical hygiene are among the important tools used to prevent pandemics.

What is a pandemic?

Medical science refers to a pandemic when a disease spreads across a region. Usually, several countries and even several continents are affected. Thus, the pandemic has a larger spread than the epidemic, in which a disease is limited to a smaller region. Accordingly, both pandemic and epidemic do not refer to a specific disease pattern, but to the degree of spread of diseases. Any infectious disease can theoretically become a pandemic. Infections that are highly contagious, such as the real flu or influenza, are particularly affected. Every 25 to 30 years, a variant of viral disease spreads as a pandemic, while in the remaining years it generally occurs as an epidemic. However, medicine, as well as popular science publications, also use the term pandemic to describe other phenomena. In recent years, for example, there has been increasing talk of an obesity pandemic. Morbid obesity does not stem from a contagious disease, but it is so widespread globally that it meets the criteria of a pandemic.

Causes

The exact causes of a pandemic depend on which disease is spreading pandemically. For an infectious disease that results from a virus, mutation of the disease agent is often a determining factor in the outbreak of a pandemic. The human immune system is not adapted to the mutated virus and cannot defend itself sufficiently against the invader. However, not every mutation has to lead to a pandemic. Another factor is unfavorable living conditions – for example, after wars or major natural disasters. These situations are often accompanied by a lack of clean drinking water and poor general hygiene, which favors the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, medical care is more difficult in such crisis areas. Travel and trade routes are usually instrumental in the spread of the pandemic. Due to global networking, a virus can pass effortlessly from one continent to another – for example, on board an airplane. However, pandemics existed long before these capabilities became available.

Symptoms, symptoms, and signs

Depending on the underlying disease, different symptoms may occur. Influenza typically manifests as fever with aching limbs, chills, cough, and respiratory inflammation. Patients often feel listless and dull. In addition, headache, chest pain and eye pain may occur. Slow pulse and low blood pressure are also possible. However, a pandemic does not have to manifest itself in clear symptoms as with the real flu. AIDS, which is caused by the HIV virus, is also considered a pandemic. However, in this case, several years can pass after infection before the disease becomes noticeable through more distinct symptoms. In the acute phase of HIV infection, however, the disease manifests itself in many individuals a few weeks after infection in a manner similar to influenza: with fever, feeling sick, fatigue, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, loss of appetite and weight, rash, hyperhidrosis (night sweats), and other symptoms.

Diagnosis and disease progression

Viral and bacterial infections can be detected in many cases using appropriate tests, allowing doctors to assign the pandemic to a clear cause. Today, to record and illustrate the extent of a pandemic, physicians still use maps on which the number of people affected is plotted for different areas. This method was developed by the Englishman John Snow, who used it to identify a well as the cause of a local cholera epidemic. The course of the disease is specific to each infection. After the First World War, approximately 22 million people died of the so-called Spanish flu between 1918 and 1920. That is more victims than the world war itself claimed. The WHO estimates that 39 million people have died as a result of HIV infection since the 1980s.

Complications

In most cases, there are no particular complications of a pandemic if the flu is well treated. Complications usually occur only when hygiene is not observed or when no treatment is given for the pandemic. In this disease, patients suffer from the usual complaints and symptoms of the flu. First and foremost, there is a high fever and fatigue. Without treatment, the patients also suffer from pneumonia, they usually feel tired and exhausted. The patient’s quality of life is significantly reduced by the pandemic. Pain in the chest or eyes can also occur due to the pandemic. Furthermore, there are rashes on the skin and loss of appetite. Of course, the pandemic can only be treated if appropriate medication is available. The symptoms can thus be limited. However, in case of a late diagnosis or treatment, the life expectancy of the patient decreases significantly. In many cases, this unfortunately leads to the death of the affected person.

When should you go to the doctor?

A pandemic is a disease that spreads rapidly across national borders. Infectious diseases often spread very rapidly, as there is an increased risk of infection in the process. If a pandemic has already broken out in one’s own immediate region, a visit to the doctor should not be delayed. In a personal consultation, it can be discussed which measures can be taken with regard to prevention or treatment. If one forgoes a visit to the doctor, then there is an acute risk of infection. This type of infectious disease causes typical symptoms such as fever, headache and pain in the limbs. All at the latest with the appearance of these described symptoms a medical and medicamentous treatment must take place compellingly. By means of appropriate medication, a significant improvement can be brought about within a very short time. However, if the sick person does not receive such treatment, the symptoms will worsen very quickly. Therefore, if the first signs of a pandemic can be detected, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. Complications and discomfort can be ended with a visit to the doctor.

Treatment and therapy

In the event of a pandemic, treatment for those individually affected is based on the disease in question. In addition, when a pandemic is detected, contingency plans come into effect in many countries and are predetermined for this purpose. One possible measure is to restrict travel to areas where the pandemic has already spread. Travelers and others who may already be infected may also be quarantined upon their return to monitor their health and detect symptoms in a timely manner. Once the incubation period is over, individuals can usually leave quarantine. In the case of infectious diseases such as Ebola, those in the immediate vicinity are particularly at risk. In order to detect possible new pandemics and epidemics as early as possible, certain diseases are reportable. A physician who diagnoses the infection must report the disease to the appropriate authority. Such a reporting obligation (without a name) exists in Germany, for example, syphilis.

Outlook and prognosis

The prognosis of a pandemic es to a considerable extent dependent on the general health of the affected person. Patients at risk may develop life-threatening health conditions. These include children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing conditions. In those affected, the immune system is not yet mature or is weakened. The pathogens can therefore spread more quickly in these people and lead to a sharp increase in symptoms. In unfavorable conditions and without the fastest possible medical care, a rapid premature death can occur. At the beginning of a pandemic, historical evidence shows that there is an increased death rate over a long period of time. Often, several million patients die from the new disease that has broken out. In this phase, researchers and physicians must first identify the pathogen in order to prevent it from spreading.People who basically have a stable immune system and a healthy lifestyle normally have a more favorable prognosis in the event of a pandemic outbreak. Once they seek medical treatment, the administration of drugs often stabilizes their health condition. If researchers can develop an agent to contain the pandemic within a short time, recovery is possible.

Prevention

In addition to early detection of pandemics, preventive measures help protect populations. Vaccinations embody effective prevention against many viral diseases, including influenza. With respect to the influenza virus, an important goal is to reduce the likelihood of dangerous mutations and to protect those who may die from even a simple influenza infection. Hygienic standards such as clean drinking water and basic personal hygiene also help prevent pandemics, along with prompt medical care.

Follow-up

In the case of a pandemic, it is usually not possible to predict specific and direct measures of aftercare, because the treatment of the disease is very dependent on its nature and also on its manifestation. Therefore, the affected person should consult a doctor already at the first signs and symptoms of the respective disease, so that it cannot spread and thus further complications and complaints can be prevented. In most cases, the disease cannot be cured on its own, so that treatment by a doctor is always necessary. As a rule, a pandemic can be prevented by various vaccinations. These can be made even after successful treatment, so that it does not come again to the infection. During the treatment of the disease, contact with other people should be prevented as far as possible. A high standard of hygiene should also be maintained, and above all only purified drinking water should be consumed. The body itself should generally be well protected to prevent infection. Whether the disease reduces the life expectancy of the affected person, can not generally be predicted.

This is what you can do yourself

Because the term pandemic refers to the spread of a human disease across countries and continents, important behaviors are often critical to significantly reducing further disease transmission. In the event of a worldwide outbreak of a disease, in the narrower sense of an infectious disease, important protective measures must be taken by everyone. People who are ill should stay at home to avoid any further risk of infection, and people who are not yet infected should avoid crowds and physical contact with people who are ill. When dealing with sick persons, touching one’s own eyes, nose, mouth should be refrained from in the personal interest. To minimize the risk of infection, handshaking should also be avoided, as should the use of other people’s objects of daily use, such as cell phones. Thorough hand washing and hand disinfection are preventive measures. It is also advisable to wear mouth and nose protection when dealing with sick people. Thorough, regular disinfection and cleaning of door handles, sanitary facilities, eating utensils, etc., is recommended. Contaminated handkerchiefs, disposable gloves or respiratory masks should be disposed of in separate garbage bags, well sealed, in the household garbage. These hygiene and behavioral rules, as well as the household disinfection recommendations, are merely preventive measures and rules of behavior in the event of a pandemic. They serve as precautionary measures and to minimize damage. Pandemic planning is an important emergency planning and informs the population step by step via media, hotlines and internet, regarding procedures in case of emergency.