Page 66 - COVID-19 and the Church_eBOOK_Color_07.16.2020_Neat

Outbreaks, Epidemics, Pandemics And Epicenters—
Throughout history, nothing has killed more
human beings worldwide, than infectious disease. The
coronavirus shows how vulnerable we remain— and how
we can avoid similar pandemics in the future.
The new COVID had a lot of people confused about
how to rate it. Some disaster laymen didn’t know whether
to call it an epidemic or pandemic. Others were calling it
an outbreak. This section explains the differences between
an outbreak, an epidemic and a pandemic.
Understanding An Outbreak?
Whenever authorities first announce the presence of
a menacing infectious disease such as the coronavirus, to
the general population, it is commonly introduced as an
outbreak. This means that within a particular geographical
region there has been a rapid increase in cases. At this
point, any sort of disease outbreak in a localized area
could very well be called an epidemic as well.
When reporting on the sudden spreading of an
infectious disease over a region, news journalists commonly
describe the dilemma as an outbreak. But, when government
officials, medical spokespersons and scientific authorities
speak, they use more precise terminology.

They must exercise professional precautions, so as
to not to send a message to the general public that could
cause them to think that a particular localized infectious
disease outbreak is a pandemic. To do so could create
unnecessary mass panic.
Understanding An Epidemic?
To be classified as an epidemic, the disease generally
affects many individuals simultaneously. Additionally, it
spreads from person to person in a locality where this
particular disease is not predominantly established.