Pandemic of the Past & Future

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Pandemics of the Past and Future
Introduction
Pandemic is defined as a large scale outbreak of infectious diseases that massively increase the rate of mortality and morbidity over a given geographical areas while also causing serios social, economic, and political instabilities. Several pandemics have occurred in human history with several others likely to arise in the near future. The onset of Covid-19 in 2019 for example did not only trigger a public health crisis but also affected the global economy that is felt to this day. Onset of this type of pandemics trigger significant social and economic impacts have been felt globally as a result of reduced productivity, business closure, loss of life, temporary closure of tourism industry, and overall trade disruption (Llanes et al., 23). While there has always been ample information on the expected health and economic damages of serious disease outbreaks, many countries have always failed to in strong prevention and preparedness measures that allow them mitigate risks and damages of large pandemics. Clearly, increasing globalization, changing human behaviors, urbanization, and environmental change is increasingly exposing humans to possible new and advanced pandemics. Therefore, advanced human and animal surveillance, improved laboratory resources, and workforce preparedness is needed to reduce impacts of future pandemics. Pandemics of the past and future have proved catastrophic to human existence.
History and Effects of pandemics on humankind
As human get civilized, building cities, and expanding trade, the risks of pandemics increased. Humans have been exposed to several pandemics in their history, but the most recent pandemics include Russian flu (1889), Spanish flu (1918), HIV/AIDS(1981), and recently Covid-19 pandemic. Spanish flu, which had its origin in Europe, swiftly spread across the globe and consequently caused 50 million deaths globally (Crisan-Dabija, et al., 12). The HIV/AIDS which was first diagnosed in 1981 have over the past few years led to the death of over 35 million people across the globe. Recently, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in 2020 and has since led to the death of over 2 million people. Several other pandemics have been recrded in the past and include the 1918-1920 flu pandemic (H1N1 virus), SARS-CoV: 2002–2003, Swine Flu (H1N1pdm09 virus), among others. All these types of pandemics have had a multifaceted impacts on human life. First, pandemics trigger extensive economic damages through multiple channels such as short and long term economic shocks. Pandemic such as Covid-19 affect trade, reduces productivity, and increases state preventive measures which equally inflict major economic losses. China for example spent over $1.6 trillion to control spread of Covid-19 in 2020 alone (Qiu, Chu, Mao, & Wu 19). System wide, pandemics lead to loss of income, unavailability of essentials, increase cost of disease treatment, among others which collectively impose major financial burdens especially on the low class citizens. Secondly, pandemics impact countries food and nutrition security. pandemics cause prices of food supply to increase due to trade imbalances. According to WHO hunger deaths are possible s...