Covid and Pandemics

Question 1

State the characteristics of a virus

Answer 1

Small amount of genes - 10
Metabolically inert and cannot reproduce independently

Question 2

Define R0

Answer 2

The number of people that one sick person will infect on average

Question 3

Describe R0

Answer 3

A function of human behaviour and biological character of pathogens
It’s with the population susceptible - no immunity

Question 4

Define Re (Effective reproduction number)

Answer 4

The average number of people that would be infected by a single infectious - taking into account the public health interventions

Question 5

Describe how Re is used

Answer 5

To measure the transmissibility of an epidemic - changes as vaccines or natural immunity is produced or deaths are increased

Question 6

Define fatality case rate

Answer 6

Number of deaths divided by known cases

Question 7

Define infection fatality rate

Answer 7

number of deaths divided by all infection- known cases plus unknown instances

Question 8

State the two treatment phases

Answer 8

Anti virals - learn from the virus
Immune modulators - learn from patients

Question 9

State the two transmission phases

Answer 9

Asymptomatic
Symptomatic

Question 10

Describe the Plague of Athens

Answer 10

420 BCE - Pelponnsians war
First recorded pandemic in history

Question 11

Describe the effect of the Plague of Athens

Answer 11

Killed over a quarter of Athens troops and 2/3 of the population

Question 12

Describe how the plague of Athens would be treated today

Answer 12

Vaccines
Fluid replacement
Antibiotics

Question 13

Describe the Antonine Plague

Answer 13

Came back from the troops of Rome - decimated the population

Question 14

Describe how the Antonine Plague would be treated today

Answer 14

Anti viral drugs
Small pox vaccine

Question 15

Describe the Justuanan Plague

Answer 15

Byzantine Empire imported grain from Egypt nd imported the bubonic plague

Question 16

describe the effects of the Justunanun Plague

Answer 16

5-10 thousand dead per day

Question 17

Describe how the Justuanuan plague would be treated today

Answer 17

Antibiotics

Question 18

Describe the Black Death

Answer 18

Deadliest pandemic in history - lowered the population by 75-200 million

Question 19

Describe how to treat the Black Death today

Answer 19

Antibiotics

Question 20

Describe the Spanish flu

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Describe how to treat the Spanish flu today

Answer 21

Proper hygiene
Vaccines
Anti virals

Question 22

Describe the effect of covid cases in minority communities

Answer 22

Increase in Heart attacks
Health care avoidance
Disproportionate increase in CV risk

Question 23

Explain why the effects of covid hit minorities disproportionately

Answer 23

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

Question 24

State the 2 pandemics that have been eradicated

Answer 24

Smallpox in humans
Rinderpest in cows

Question 25

State some preparation the globe should take for the next pandemic

Answer 25

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