There are more people on earth
The worldwide population is greater than it has ever been, which makes a pandemic dangerous because there are so many more people without immunity who could get infected, Brown explains. For example, in 1918, the world population was estimated to be 1.8 billion people, and the 1918 flu pandemic killed about 50 million.
“Today, the world population is over 7 billion, so when a new disease appears, it can be potentially very dangerous,” Brown says. “These diseases don’t care about borders or political affiliations, and so every community must have a plan before a new pandemic has been identified. The importance of planning for pandemics has not changed, and even after this one, there will eventually be another one.”
There is no vaccine or herd immunity
COVID-19 is infecting people of all ages, even though it is worse for people over the age of 60. But there’s a big difference in comparing this epidemic with others. Babies and older adults are also impacted, but other relatively young, healthy people create what’s known as “herd immunity,” which tends to prevent overwhelming outbreaks.
That’s because of vaccines as well as people building up immunity over the years from potential prior exposure, notes family physician Bindiya Gandhi, MD. “With COVID-19 being new, there is no herd immunity and no vaccine yet available,” she explains.
Social-distancing measures are very important these days and help people stay safe.
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