Infectious disease Unit 6

infectious disease

A disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms that spread, either directly or indirectly from one person to another.

ways to directly spread disease

close direct contact, sharing body fluids, or inhalation of respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.

ways to indirectly spread disease

touching contaminated surfaces, breathing airborne droplets, consuming contaminated food or water, and from insects like mosquitoes.

epidemic

a disease becomes widespread in a specific community at a particular time

pandemic

the disease is able to spread to multiple regions becoming a threat to multiple people groups

Where was the H1N1 pandemic first detected

California

What was unique about this influenza virus from others, in terms of who it affected the most?

 it primarily killed healthy young adults rather than exposed and under developed young adults and elderly. 

What are the most common causes of epidemics? 

The rapid spread of contaminates and viruses driven by increased transportation.

antigenic shift

Abrupt major change in a virus resulting in a new virus that humans don’t have immunity to. 

What makes the possibility of a pandemic becoming a global health crisis especially intimidating in 

modern times?

We now have planes which cut the time it takes to transport viruses to different countries in a fraction of the time in 1918. This means viruses could spread faster and could also place international travel on a halt in extreme cases of potential exposure to pandemics. 

what can be done in advance to prevent another influenza pandemic?

Pre-vaccination, sanitary practices, and informative research to discover future potential strands ahead of time