Managing Pandemics (SL IB Geography)

Revision Note

Grace Bower

Expertise

Geography Content Creator

What is a Pandemic?

Pandemics

  • A pandemic occurs when a disease affects one country, multiple countries or the whole world
  • The World Health Organisation will state whether a pandemic has begun 
  • Famous pandemics include:
    • The Black Death in the 14th century 
    • Spanish Influenza in 1918
    • Swine Flu in 2009
    • Covid-19 in 2020

Epidemiology of Disease

Epidemiology of Disease

  • The Epidemiology of Disease is the understanding of:
    • When a disease started
    • Where it has started
    • How it started
    • Factors contributing to the spread 
  • It also supports work to prevent and treat diseases
  • It is a vital study that underpins the management of pandemics 
  • The famous physician John Snow, named the ‘Father of Epidemiology’, was one of the first to use epidemiological thinking to assess disease outbreak
    • In London in 1854, a severe outbreak of cholera hit the city
    • Most physicians at the time assumed it to be an airborne disease
    • Using epidemiology, John Snow worked out how the disease began 
    • The disease originated from a water pump 
  • We can think about disease spread using the Epidemiological Triangle
    • There are 3 factors to consider:
      • Host - characteristics of a person e.g. age, race, occupation, social status etc
      • Agent - the cause (biological, chemical, physical or nutritional)
      • Environment - what could impact the agent (temperature, food or water, pollution, housing status)

epidemiological-triangle

The Epidemiological Triangle

Prior Local & Global Awareness

Prior Local & Global Awareness

  • Local and global awareness of pandemics is important in pandemic management
  • If a disease is already well known to local and global communities, people are more aware of the issues
    • This means that the disease is easier to manage and reduces the impacts
    • Novel diseases are harder to manage as people are not aware of the risks and prevention strategies 
  • A good example is COVID-19:
    • The UK government adopted a fierce hand-washing strategy
    • Covid-19 is an airborne disease, therefore evidence now suggests that the focus should have been on controlling this
    • Masks and lockdowns were brought in later, resulting in huge infection levels and death toll 
  • Prior local and global awareness can help us prepare for future diseases
    • Knowledge about diseases is vital:
      • Where diseases originate 
      • How diseases spread
      • How to minimise impacts

International Action

International Action

  • International action involves international governments and organisations working together to combat a pandemic 
  • International action is a powerful tactic in reducing disease spread and impact:
    • Global vaccination rollouts 
    • Consistent testing, tracing and treatment
    • Announcements of Public Health Emergency 
    • International border closures 
    • Relief efforts e.g. doctors, aid workers etc
    • International funding and collaboration for pandemic containment 

Role of the Media

Role of the Media

  • The media can play both a vital and destructive role in pandemic management
  • Mainstream media, the news and social media can impact the portrayal of a pandemic
    • When the media informs the public about a pandemic, they may do so from a specific angle
    • This may result in empathetic reactions from the public, resulting in more awareness and knowledge about the issue 
  • When based on science, it is a good source of information for the general public
  • Informs the public about rules e.g. lockdowns or vaccine availability
  • Poor media coverage can result in stigmas towards the disease e.g. HIV was initially labelled as a ‘gay disease’
  • Western media may only begin to report on a disease outbreak in places like Africa when Westerners come home with the disease
  • Media portrayal of pandemics can result in scaremongering

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Grace Bower

Author: Grace Bower

Grace graduated with a first-class degree in Geography from Royal Holloway, University of London. In addition to being a tutor and qualified TEFL teacher, she has extensive experience in writing geography exam content for online learning companies. Grace’s main interests are in the intricacies of human and political geographies. She is passionate about providing access to educational content and spreading knowledge and understanding of geography, one of the most important and relevant subjects in the world today.