Epidemics and Pandemics How they effect the 21 st century.

1. Epidemics and PandemicsHow they effect the 21st century. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bnDRbgjJNoc/SfguzBbvKFI/AAAAAAAAASU/AZ8UUdj7pYs/s400/pandemic.jpg Valerie Jewell

2. What are epidemics and pandemics? Epidemic:An outbreak of an infectious disease that affects many people in the same place at one time Pandemic:An epidemic of an infectious disease that spreads worldwide

3. Continued… • Pathogens: An agent of disease. A disease producer. The term pathogen most commonly is used to refer to infectious organisms. • Microbes: A very tiny form of life -- microbes include bacteria, fungi, and protozoan parasites. Also known as a bacteria that causes diseases • Epidemics were first seen as divine retribution or a plague sent to punish people for their sins • So as people started to farm the land and build little towns, disease were more easily spread among the people because they were in closer proximity with each other which makes it so disease are more easily spread among them

4. Why were at risk… • Microbes and pathogens are constantly changing and adapting to their environment • Easily transferable • Poor sanitation and crowd areas are good place for pathogens to grow, mutate and become more deadly • Global warming is making it so microbes can thrive more easily in environments that it couldn’t before • The fact that anyone can travel anywhere in the world • Shipping

5. Continued… Diseases are spread through two methods indirect and direct contact • Also through air, contaminated food or water • Also some are spread through animals Air • All of these send a spray of tiny mucus droplets of watery mucus into the air • When infect droplets dry they float around like dust particle Direct and indirect contact • Touching infected skin or cuts, kissing • Touching the nose, mouth or eyes after touching an infect surface like a telephone, doorknob http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=95635&rendTypeId=4

6. Continued…. Vectors • Ticks • Flies • Mosquitoes (most harmful) • Bugs • Rats • Dogs • Bats • The wide use of antibiotics and other pathogen-killing drugs reduce the death toll from epidemic disease • But in doing this were creating drug-resistant pathogens • In the future were going to need new treatments in order to fight the disease Possible solutions (for new treatments in the future) • Genetic engineered antibodies target specific viruses http://www.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth/images/mosquito/popups/mosquito01.jpg

7. How pandemics and epidemics effects the 21st century They affect the 21st century because there are a number of different diseases that if they mutated into a more deadly form or became more transferable among species, it would become a major pandemic. Also the fact that the world is globalized it would spread very rapidly.

8. Bibliography • Williams, M. E. (Ed.). (2005). Epidemics: Opposing Views. United States Of America: Thomas Corporation. • Chenes, E. D. (Ed.). (2008). Pandemics. United States Of America: Greenhaven Press. • Walker, R. (2006). Epidemics & Plagues. Singapor: Kingfisher Publications. • WebMD (Ed.). (2008, May). Pathogen . In Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (1st, 2nd, 3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6383 • WebMD (Ed.). (2008, May). Microbe . In Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (1st, 2nd, 3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4372