What is a plague? Flashcards
general issues with epidemiology
medical statistics are not neutral. counts and cases can be manipulated.
who decides what is a case? how accurate are the counts?
case definitions and counts can be manipulated to serve interests other than public health
What happened during the 2009 swine flu in egypt?
coptic christians are religious minorities in egypt.
christian’s eat pork- muslim majority does not.
over 300k pigs were killed, many of which were related to the livelihoods of christians in the area
What is R0
basic reproductive number - r nought
the average number of cases generated by a single known case in a population of equally susceptible individuals.
In order to spread, R0 needs to be >1
what is R
effective reproductive number.
average number of secondary cases per infectious case in a population of susceptible and non-susceptible hosts.
Can be estimated: R=Ro(x)
(x = fraction of host pop that is susceptible)
to eliminate disease R must be <1
endemic if R=1
where does the word “plague” come from?
Greek word “plaga”, meaning wound, blow, misfortune, injury.
not a neutral term, carries emotions of foreboding, evil.
what is pestis
pestis is a disease outbreak with high death rate (not bugs)
describe the idea of a plague
doesnt have to be an infectious disease (ex. a plague of locusts)
the idea of a plague conflicts affliction (metaphorically) with a massive, destructive outbreak
define a plague
a massive, destructive outbreak of any infectious agent
a special kind of epidemic with high morbidity and/or mortality
synonymous with evil, disaster, misfortune, feelings of fear and lack of control.
describe the plague
the bubonic/septicemic/pneumonic plague
caused by bacteria yersinia pestis.
transmitted from rodents, to fleas, to human.
bubonic is most common, flea/rodent to human
septicemic is secondary to bubonic, enters through breaks in the skin
pneumonic is most deadly, spread human to human through air droplets
why are plagues synonymous with disaster and misfortune?
often produce horrifying symptoms and/or disfigurement
can create disaster, confusion, chaos as social systems are disrupted
seem to appear suddenly
unknown origins
seems like everyone is vulnerable
how are plagues socially constructed?
sudden widespread death and fear create a highly visible and dramatic event.
this elicits immediate response (shame and blame)
how societies respond to plague reveals their values and social structures
what is the narrative form of plague
Phase 1: public acknowledgement when suffering/death can’t be ignored
Phase 2: search for explanation, often leads to blame
Phase 3: epidemic’s end provides “lesson”
