Paper I
2025 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) · 40 marks · 120 min

Question

Define Pandemic and give two examples

Q82 marksShort Notes

Answer

Definition: A pandemic is an epidemic (an unusual increase in disease incidence above the expected baseline) that has spread across multiple countries or continents, typically affecting a large number of people worldwide — the geographic scale distinguishes a pandemic from an epidemic (confined to a single country/region) and an outbreak (a localized cluster of cases).

Two examples:

  1. COVID-19 pandemic (caused by SARS-CoV-2), declared a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020, spreading to virtually every country worldwide.
  2. 1918 influenza pandemic (“Spanish flu”) — one of the deadliest pandemics in history, caused by an H1N1 influenza A virus, spreading globally in multiple waves.

(Other valid examples: HIV/AIDS pandemic; the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic; historically, the plague pandemics.)

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