The emergence of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in 2020 triggered a global pandemic and an important reminder to take precautions to protect yourself and your family. It also highlighted how little we know about diseases such as these, especially when they are new to us. In this article, we uncover some of the key terms and concepts about pandemics, how they are different from epidemics and endemic disease, and what you can do to minimise your risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) decides when a disease is a pandemic, and it does not relate to the virology of the disease or to population immunity, nor to how severe the disease is. Rather, it is a measure of the rate at which the disease is spreading worldwide.
Epidemics are sudden disease outbreaks that affect more people than experts would normally expect, and usually occur in a smaller area. Yellow fever, smallpox and measles are examples of epidemic diseases. When a disease spreads at rates significantly higher than expected, the WHO may declare an epidemic or pandemic.
The Government has a plan to manage pandemics and will be taking advice from around the world on how to respond. As a part of this, you can help reduce the impact on the community by staying at home unless instructed to do otherwise, practising physical distancing, covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and making sure you have a working pandemic emergency plan.
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