E PIDEMICS AND P ANDEMICS How do they pertain to the 21 st century? Megan Godfrey

W HAT ARE THEY ? Epidemics  rapid spread of something, usually an illness Pandemics  occur over a wide geographic area

W HY W E ’ RE A T R ISK... Microbes change their genes or mutate, each time they reproduce Enables them to adapt easier and jump between plants, animals, and humans During this process, new and lethal microorganisms are created They are then able to rapidly spread and kill humans Growing population increases international trade and travel, this can create new diseases International airline passengers have increased from 200 million in 1950 to 4 billion in 2005

C ONTINUED... Disease experts say that international travel allows infectious disease to spread more quickly than in the past Today, by the time a disease outbreak is discovered its a good chance that it has already spread to other places The changes in food production cause more disease Many food products are grown or manufactured in large quantities, when contamination does occur, it affects many people Factory farms  10’s of thousands animals raised in crowded, unsanitary conditions Global trade  widens the reach of infectious disease Can be used as weapons

E XAMPLES O F E PIDEMICS & P ANDEMICS Avian Flu (Bird Flu) the Avian Virus has the potential to be the cause of the next deadly flu pandemic Unsanitary conditions where avian species gather (food and poultry markets) spread virus Evidence that it can spread from human to human 14 months following December 2003, there were 97 confirmed cases of the avian virus, 53 of the 97 people infected died AAEC8984CF4DCD93/0/birdflu.jpg

AIDS Life expectancies in HIV/AIDS affected countries are going to decline By 2010, many countries in southern Africa are expected to have life expectancies falling to near 30 years of age Median survival time with AIDS is estimated to be around 10 years In the past year the epidemic in Africa has claimed the lives of approx. 1.5 million people More than 11 million children have been orphaned because of AIDS

Cholera Acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food or water In Zimbabwe there are 16,700 cases so far There have been 750 cases and 11 deaths in South Africa as it is spreading When the rainy season hits, expecting a massive increase to around 60,000 cases KP7dGDvpcCFRHxDAodIkbTTA

Type II Diabetes in children and young adults Changed from a disease older people had to a disease of children It’s due to the combination of insulin resistance and relative b-cell failure Most children who develop type II diabetes have a family member with it Most significant risk factor is obesity Currently 15-20% of American teens are overweight 5 million children are Diabetes occurs in children who are inactive Computer games and TV has contributed to type II diabetes Major public health problem, diabetes costs nation more than $100 billion per year

I N C ONCLUSION There are many epidemics and pandemics present in the 21 st century and with the increase in laziness, fast foods, population, changes in food production, and international trade and travel the risk for more epidemics and pandemics will only increase.

Kanabus, A. (2008, November 8). HIV and AIDS in Africa. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from Miller, Debra A. (2007). Pandemics. Michigan: Thomson Gale. ________. Responding to Zimbabwe’s Cholera Epidemic. (2008, December 10). Mercy Corps. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from Sfakianos, Jeffery, N.(2006). Avian Flu. New York: Infobase Publishing. _______. Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A "New Epidemic". (2002). Clinical Diabetes. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from _______. Zimbabwe's Cholera Epidemic "far from over". (2008, December 13). China View. Retrieved December 13, 2008, from 12/13/content_ htm