Pandemic Exploration

Goals

Now that you know how the WHO classifies phases of disease, you will have a small group discussion with your peers to get you thinking about the dynamics of disease transmission and how diseases evolve from endemic to epidemics to (in some cases), pandemics. For this discussion, please pick a pandemic you want to focus on (NOTE: You may not pick COVID-19, you will see why below)

Instructions

Please respond to the following questions. Please copy and paste the questions directly into the text box and bold each of the questions so I can easily find your responses:

1. Identify your pandemic. Please be specific- describe the disease, the rate of infection, and how the disease is primarily transmitted.
2. Trace the origin of your pandemic. Where did it start and how and when did it evolve from an epidemic to a pandemic? Are there any specific groups who were impacted more than others?
3. What methods were used to help control disease transmission? Has the disease been eradicated? If so, how? Again, please be specific in your answers.
4. What lesson did the public health community learn from this disease? What recommendations do you have for addressing pandemics in the future based on the history of this disease?
5. Are there any strategies that were used to reduce the rate of infection that can be applied to reducing the number of new cases (incidence) of COVID-19 specifically in vulnerable populations? Provide at least 2 concrete strategies based on past pandemic research to help reduce COVID-19.
6. Respond to a classmate about their recommendations for #5 above.

Helpful websites:

• Case studies (Links to an external site.)
• Pandemics that changed history (Links to an external site.)
• WHO fact sheets on various infectious diseases (Links to an external site.)

Remember to cite your sources!