Managing Pandemics (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
What is a Pandemic?
Pandemics
A pandemic occurs when a disease affects one country, multiple countries or the whole world
The World Health Organisation will state whether a pandemic has begun
Famous pandemics include:
The Black Death in the 14th century
Spanish Influenza in 1918
Swine Flu in 2009
Covid-19 in 2020
Epidemiology of Disease
The Epidemiology of Disease is the understanding of:
When a disease started
Where it has started
How it started
Factors contributing to the spread
It also supports work to prevent and treat diseases
It is a vital study that underpins the management of pandemics
The famous physician John Snow, named the ‘Father of Epidemiology’, was one of the first to use epidemiological thinking to assess disease outbreak
In London in 1854, a severe outbreak of cholera hit the city
Most physicians at the time assumed it to be an airborne disease
Using epidemiology, John Snow worked out how the disease began
The disease originated from a water pump
We can think about disease spread using the Epidemiological Triangle
There are 3 factors to consider:
Host - characteristics of a person e.g. age, race, occupation, social status etc
Agent - the cause (biological, chemical, physical or nutritional)
Environment - what could impact the agent (temperature, food or water, pollution, housing status)
Prior Local & Global Awareness
Local and global awareness of pandemics is important in pandemic management
If a disease is already well known to local and global communities, people are more aware of the issues
This means that the disease is easier to manage and reduces the impacts
Novel diseases are harder to manage as people are not aware of the risks and prevention strategies
A good example is COVID-19:
The UK government adopted a fierce hand-washing strategy
Covid-19 is an airborne disease, therefore evidence now suggests that the focus should have been on controlling this
Masks and lockdowns were brought in later, resulting in huge infection levels and death toll
Prior local and global awareness can help us prepare for future diseases
Knowledge about diseases is vital:
Where diseases originate
How diseases spread
How to minimise impacts
International Action
International action involves international governments and organisations working together to combat a pandemic
International action is a powerful tactic in reducing disease spread and impact:
Global vaccination rollouts
Consistent testing, tracing and treatment
Announcements of Public Health Emergency
International border closures
Relief efforts e.g. doctors, aid workers etc
International funding and collaboration for pandemic containment
Role of the Media
The media can play both a vital and destructive role in pandemic management
Mainstream media, the news and social media can impact the portrayal of a pandemic
When the media informs the public about a pandemic, they may do so from a specific angle
This may result in empathetic reactions from the public, resulting in more awareness and knowledge about the issue
When based on science, it is a good source of information for the general public
Informs the public about rules e.g. lockdowns or vaccine availability
Poor media coverage can result in stigmas towards the disease e.g. HIV was initially labelled as a ‘gay disease’
Western media may only begin to report on a disease outbreak in places like Africa when Westerners come home with the disease
Media portrayal of pandemics can result in scaremongering
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