EpidemiologyLesson 1 of 3 in the course Pandemics and Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Plague, Influenza, HIV, and COVID-19 Pandemics

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the difference between endemic disease, epidemics, and pandemics, then explores how plague outbreaks spread and influenced societies.

These terms describe how disease occurs across populations and places.

The terms can apply to infectious diseases that emerge for the first time or reemerge after being less common. The distinction is primarily about the pattern and geographic reach of disease, not simply how severe an illness is.

All flashcards

Endemic disease
A disease consistently present or common in a particular population or area.
Pandemic
An epidemic that spreads across countries or worldwide; the term describes geographic reach, not severity.
Plague
An infection caused by *Yersinia pestis*, a bacterium associated with rodents and transmitted by infected fleas.
Quarantine
The term is associated with *quaranta*, Italian for forty, referring to a 40-day isolation period used in Ragusa.
Antiretroviral therapy
Treatment that can manage HIV.

Quiz questions

  1. At least how many deaths worldwide were attributed to the 1918 influenza pandemic?Answer: 50 million
  2. Which development helped limit deaths during the 1957 influenza pandemic?Answer: Rapid identification of the new virus and vaccine development
  3. Which group experienced more severe illness and death during the 1968 influenza pandemic?Answer: Adults over age 65
  4. When did the first HIV test follow the identification of the virus?Answer: 1985
  5. When did the World Health Organization declare COVID-19 a pandemic?Answer: March 2020

Based on Population Health for Nurses by Jessica Ochs, Sherry L. Roper, Susan M. Schwartz (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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