What Is a Pandemic? The word “pandemic” stems from the Greek words “pan” (meaning “all”) and “demos” (meaning “people”). Thus, a pandemic is a widespread infectious disease, bacteria, or virus that sickens a large number of people worldwide. When a disease or illness is isolated to one region or country, it’s called an “epidemic.” Throughout history, humans have experienced a number of pandemics, some of which have killed tens of millions of people. These pandemics include cholera, smallpox, measles, yellow fever, tuberculosis, malaria, and Ebola. One of the most devastating and well-known pandemics is the Black Death, also known as the Plague, which swept across Europe and Asia during the mid-1300s. It’s estimated that the Plague killed 30% to 60% of Europe’s population, or 75 million to 200 million people. The influenza virus has been the cause of many pandemics. In 1918, a strain of the virus called the “Spanish flu” swept the world. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that this virus sickened up to one-third of the world’s population (around 500 million people) and killed more than 50 million people. Some died within hours of symptom onset. The 2019 – 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak The World Health Organization (WHO) first learned of the 2019 to 2020 coronavirus outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019. According to NPR, experts believe the virus, named COVID-19, originated in the Hunan Seafood Market, a live-animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause a range of illnesses, from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The coronavirus family is zoonotic, which means they can spread between animals and humans through close contact. The CDC reports that they also spread in similar ways. Infected people transmit MERS and SARS through the air by coughing or sneezing. China has taken major steps to contain the current outbreak, quarantining over 50 million people and building hospitals in a matter of days. However, the virus has spread to other countries. And according to experts interviewed by The New York Times, the current outbreak is increasingly likely to become a global pandemic. It’s easily transmissible through the air, and cases are spiking rapidly, especially in China, where testing kits are in short supply and there’s a backlog in hospitals and labs. How the Coronavirus Spreads Much is still unknown about exactly how the new coronavirus spreads and how quickly it infects others. The CDC states that the virus spreads by respiratory droplets produced when a person coughs or sneezes. Transmission is similar to other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, and the CDC believes that COVID-19 spreads as easily as the common flu virus. Some important questions, such as whether or not a person can infect others when they show no symptoms (called “asymptomatic”), remain unanswered. However, a 2020 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine states asymptomatic transmission can occur. Coronavirus Symptoms COVID-19 presents a serious global public health threat and can be fatal. The CDC believes symptoms of COVID-19 can manifest between two and 14 days after initial exposure, based both on early data and the incubation period for SARS and MERS. Symptoms for the current novel coronavirus include: Fever Shortness of breath Cough So far, people who are most at risk of developing severe complications from the novel coronavirus are the elderly and those with preexisting medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Originally published on YouTube on Feb 27, 2020