Why has the WHO declared that Covid-19 is a pandemic until now

What is pandemic?

Epidemic is a sudden increase in cases of disease or disease but only within the country or community. Declaring a pandemic as a pandemic has nothing to do with the severity of the disease , but rather its geographical spread.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a pandemic is declared when a new disease that people have no immunity spread around the world unexpectedly.

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Cases involving travelers who were infected in China and returned later, or those who were infected by the guest, called "case of the head", do not count toward the grand claims Translate.

A second wave of transmission from person to person throughout the community is required to be considered a pandemic. Once a pandemic is declared, it is likely that community spreads will occur. Governments and health systems need to make sure they are prepared for that.

When is a pandemic declared?

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, an antimicrobial expert who used to advise WHO, said the pandemic statement is not always clear because it may depend on the model used. between WHO and other health organizations. WHO will be the organization with the final say.

There is no threshold for declaring a pandemic, such as certain deaths or infections, or the number of affected countries.

For example, Sars 2003, was not declared a pandemic by WHO despite affecting 26 countries. Its spread was quickly halted and only a few countries and territories were significantly affected, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Canada.

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WHO has many reasons when declaring a pandemic, but part of the reason is for people to be seriously aware of the severity of the epidemic and not ignore the symptoms, as well as to get the financial conditions they need. set for helping solve and controlling it

However, if declared a pandemic caused global panic, this could do more harm than trying to raise awareness. Swine flu, declared a 2009 pandemic, caused unnecessary panic, overloaded emergency departments and forced the government to spend too much on antiviral drugs. The symptoms of this disease are usually mild and most people recover within six days.

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Professor Peter Collignon

Infectious disease expert Professor Peter Collignon said: It seems that the fecal – oral route may be an important route of coronavirus transmission. In countries with strong water sanitation systems and safe and reliable water supply, the impact of a pandemic may be less severe.

What to prepare?

There is currently a strong spread of Covid-19 coronavirus in China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and Singapore.

Director of infectious diseases and immunology at the Menzies Health Institute in Queensland - Professor Nigel McMillan, said the media reports may be too sensitive about the significance of the pandemic announcement.

"We don't want to cause panic in stockpiling food or gasoline, when for 95% of the population, this will be just a mild cold," he said.

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But when an epidemic is considered a pandemic, the travel ban will no longer be useful or reasonable. This will alert health authorities that they need to prepare for the next phase.

"This includes preparing our hospitals for large numbers of patients, stockpiling any antiviral drugs and advising people that when the time comes, they will need to think about things. like quarantining at home if you're sick, avoiding crowded people . "- McMillan said.

McLaws says this may prove the most difficult job for governments is to encourage people to change their behavior, such as canceling major social events to avoid spreading the disease. In response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) 17 years ago, McLaws teamed up with Beijing to look at the reasons why Sars health workers.

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"What health workers see, and the way they see their colleagues get sick, will make them work with the government to stop the spread," she said. Experts say the vaccine could be available in 18 months.

What are other examples of pandemics?

The 2009 H1N1 flu, HIV (1981), Spanish flu (1918), plague (1347) and smallpox (1870) are all examples of pandemics.