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Epidemic - GCSE History Definition

Reviewed by: Zoe Wade

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In GCSE History, an epidemic is when a disease spreads quickly and affects lots of people in one area. Examples include the Black Death (1348) and the Great Plague (1665), which killed thousands and caused panic and major changes in how people thought about disease and treatment. In the 1800s, cholera spread through dirty water, leading to improvements in public health, like clean water and sewers. More recently, Covid-19 showed how epidemics still affect medicine, government action, and daily life today. Studying epidemics helps students see how diseases have shaped medical progress and changed how societies respond to health crises.

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Zoe Wade

Reviewer: Zoe Wade

Expertise: History Content Creator

Zoe has worked in education for 10 years as a teaching assistant and a teacher. This has given her an in-depth perspective on how to support all learners to achieve to the best of their ability. She has been the Lead of Key Stage 4 History, showing her expertise in the Edexcel GCSE syllabus and how best to revise. Ever since she was a child, Zoe has been passionate about history. She believes now, more than ever, the study of history is vital to explaining the ever-changing world around us. Zoe’s focus is to create accessible content that breaks down key historical concepts and themes to achieve GCSE success.

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