Pandemic

A pandemic is a global outbreak of disease. Pandemics occur when a new virus emerges to infect people around the world. The viruses that cause pandemics are usually highly contagious and can cause severe illness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a pandemic as an epidemic that has spread across multiple continents or even worldwide. Pandemics are serious public health emergencies that can have a major impact on economies, societies, and even international relations.

There have been three global flu pandemics in the last century: the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1957 Asian flu, and the 2009 H1N1 swine flu. Each of these pandemics resulted in millions of deaths and had far-reaching economic and social impacts.

The 1918 Spanish flu was one of the deadliest pandemics in history. It killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide—more than any other event in the 20th century. The 1957 Asian flu killed an estimated 2 million people, while the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic resulted in around 575,000 deaths globally.

While pandemics are often associated with infectious diseases, they can also be caused by other health threats, such as environmental hazards or terrorist attacks. For example, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 230,000 people in 14 countries and was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history.