A pandemic is a large-scale outbreak of infectious disease that greatly increases morbidity and mortality over a broad geographic area, triggering significant economic, social, and political disruption. The global spread of novel coronavirus (nCoV) in 2020 has demonstrated what a pandemic is and how it impacts life on a worldwide scale.
During a pandemic, people are at risk of becoming sick and dying from the same disease, but it’s impossible to predict the duration and severity of the illness. While it might take scientists a while to develop vaccines, there are a range of measures that can be taken during the prepandemic period to reduce the impact of the pandemic and help prevent it from spreading.
For example, if the virus is spread through close contact, it’s important to avoid people who are known to be sick and stay at least 1.5m apart. People are also advised to cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing, not touch any contaminated surfaces and to wash their hands frequently. Other measures include cancelling large events, allowing work-from-home and offering employees flexible working arrangements and closing schools. It’s also important to vaccinate, visit the Immunisation Coalition website for more information.
In addition to the human toll, a pandemic can have huge economic costs, with estimates of fiscal and growth shocks from the 1918 influenza pandemic reaching billions of dollars. Research shows that a pandemic has the potential to affect all sectors of the economy, with poorer countries facing the greatest economic losses.