4.6 Disease Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes regarding human history and the impact of contagious diseases, epidemics, and viral pandemics.

Plagues

Contagious diseases that have spread rapidly through a population and resulted in high death rates.

Epidemics

Occurrences where many people in a particular area have a disease in a relatively short period of time.

Pandemics

Diseases that occur worldwide or across an entire country or continent.

The Plague of Justinian

One of the first recorded pandemics, occurring in the sixth century and thought to be the result of the bubonic plague.

The Black Death

A widespread and feared bubonic plague outbreak in Europe, named for the presence of black sores on the skin of victims.

Yersinia pestis

The bacteria that causes bubonic plague, transmitted by fleas that have bitten infected rats.

Hopei

The north-eastern Chinese province where the bubonic plague was first recorded in 1334, resulting in the death of about $90\%$ of the people.

Flagellants

People during the Black Death who whipped themselves to show their love of god, hoping to be forgiven for their sins and spared from the disease.

Anthropocene

The 'age of humans,' a suggested new geological era marked by a global fall in carbon dioxide levels after the population of the Americas dropped by up to $95\%$ around the year 1500.

Spanish influenza ($H1N1$)

A virulent strain of influenza that killed more than 25 million people by the end of 1918.

League of Nations Health Organisation

Established in 1919 with the aim of preventing and controlling disease around the world.

Avian influenza ($H5N1$)

A highly contagious flu among birds that first infected humans in 1997; it is dangerous because humans have little immunity to its $H5$ surface protein.

Swine flu ($H1N1$)

A 2009 pandemic flu strain containing a mixture of genes from swine, human, and avian flu viruses.

Coronaviruses

A group of viruses named for the crown of spikes on their envelope, which consist of a strand of RNA surrounded by spike proteins.

SARS-CoV

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, which infected around 8000 people between 2002 and 2004 with a mortality rate of approximately $10\%$.

MERS-CoV

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus, typically transmitted to humans through camels, with a mortality rate of $35\%$.

SARS-CoV-2

The virus that causes COVID-19, measuring approximately $50\text{--}200\,nm$ in diameter and possessing genetic similarities to bat coronaviruses.

ACE2

A cell-surface receptor found in the nose and the alveoli of the lungs that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to in order to enter host cells.

Alveoli

The tiny air sacs in the lungs lined with a single layer of cells where the SARS-CoV-2 virus can populate, causing breathing difficulties.

Cytokine storm

A severe immune system overreaction where the body attacks healthy cells, potentially leading to organ failure and blood clots.

Flattening the curve

A public health strategy used to minimize physical contact to ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed by a surge in infectious cases.

Exponential growth

A mathematical phenomenon where infections double at a consistent rate, such as every $3$ days, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biosecurity measures

Important protocols for screening people and products entering Australia to prevent diseases and pests from damaging primary industries.