Covid and Pandemics Flashcards
State the characteristics of a virus
Small amount of genes - 10
Metabolically inert and cannot reproduce independently
Define R0
The number of people that one sick person will infect on average
Describe R0
A function of human behaviour and biological character of pathogens
It’s with the population susceptible - no immunity
Define Re (Effective reproduction number)
The average number of people that would be infected by a single infectious - taking into account the public health interventions
Describe how Re is used
To measure the transmissibility of an epidemic - changes as vaccines or natural immunity is produced or deaths are increased
Define fatality case rate
Number of deaths divided by known cases
Define infection fatality rate
number of deaths divided by all infection- known cases plus unknown instances
State the two treatment phases
Anti virals - learn from the virus
Immune modulators - learn from patients
State the two transmission phases
Asymptomatic
Symptomatic
Describe the Plague of Athens
420 BCE - Pelponnsians war
First recorded pandemic in history
Describe the effect of the Plague of Athens
Killed over a quarter of Athens troops and 2/3 of the population
Describe how the plague of Athens would be treated today
Vaccines
Fluid replacement
Antibiotics
Describe the Antonine Plague
Came back from the troops of Rome - decimated the population
Describe how the Antonine Plague would be treated today
Anti viral drugs
Small pox vaccine
Describe the Justuanan Plague
Byzantine Empire imported grain from Egypt nd imported the bubonic plague
describe the effects of the Justunanun Plague
5-10 thousand dead per day
Describe how the Justuanuan plague would be treated today
Antibiotics
Describe the Black Death
Deadliest pandemic in history - lowered the population by 75-200 million
Describe how to treat the Black Death today
Antibiotics
Describe the Spanish flu
High mortality rate among young and healthy
Everyday life stopped like with current day covid
Mass infection affected nearly a third of the worls population
Killed 50-100 million deaths, more than all the wars of the 20th century combined
Describe how to treat the Spanish flu today
Proper hygiene
Vaccines
Anti virals
Describe the effect of covid cases in minority communities
Increase in Heart attacks
Health care avoidance
Disproportionate increase in CV risk
Explain why the effects of covid hit minorities disproportionately
Fear of getting covid - they stayed at home
Greater burden of cardiovascular disease
Higher rates of being uninsured
Worse access to high-quality health systems
Residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods
State the 2 pandemics that have been eradicated
Smallpox in humans
Rinderpest in cows
State some preparation the globe should take for the next pandemic
Monito zoonoses – diseases that can jump from animals to humans
Prepare to sequence globally so we know what were dealing with
Strengthen manufacturing
Make vaccine platforms that can be adapted quickly for variants
Strengthen government to stop and contain
