An epidemic is a massive spread in space and time of an infectious disease, the level of which is several times higher than the statistical indicator registered in the affected area. Many people become victims of the disease, on a large scale, the effect of the infection has no boundaries and covers both small areas and entire countries. Each outbreak of the disease can be fundamentally different from the previous ones and is accompanied by symptoms depending on a number of factors. These are climate, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, geographical location, social and hygienic conditions. The epidemic of the virus is characterized by a continuous process of transmission of the infectious agent from one person to another, which entails a continuous chain of successively developing infectious conditions.
Diseases growing into epidemics
The most dangerous diseases that take the form of an epidemic are:
- Plague.
- Cholera.
- Flu.
- Anthrax.
- Tiff.
- Ebola.
Black Death is a plague
Plague (otherwise "black death") - a terrible disease that destroyed entirecities, wiped off the face of the Earth villages and villages. The first mention of the disease was recorded in the 6th century: it enveloped the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire in a gloomy cloud, killing hundreds of thousands of inhabitants and their ruler Justinian. Coming from Egypt and spreading in western and eastern directions - along the coast of Africa towards Alexandria and through Syria and Palestine into the possessions of Western Asia - the plague from 532 to 580 struck many countries. The "black death" made its way along trade routes, along the sea coasts, unceremoniously sneaked deep into the continents.
The plague epidemic reached its peak, penetrating into Greece and Turkey in 541-542, and then into the territory of present-day Italy, France and Germany. At that time, the population of the Eastern Roman Empire was reduced by half. Every breath, a slight fever, the slightest ailment was a danger and did not guarantee the awakening of a person in the morning.
The plague epidemic repeated its second terrible campaign in the XIV century, hitting all European states. Five centuries of the reign of the disease claimed the lives of approximately 40 million people. The reasons for the unhindered spread of infection were the lack of basic hygiene skills, dirt and total poverty. Before the disease, both doctors and the drugs prescribed by them were powerless. There was a catastrophic lack of territories for the burial of dead bodies, so huge pits were dug, which were filled with hundreds of corpses. How many strong men, attractive women, lovely babies were mowed down by ruthless death, breaking the chains of hundreds of generations.
After unsuccessful attempts, doctors realized that it was necessary to use isolation of sick people from he althy ones. Then quarantine was invented, which became the first barrier to the fight against infection.
Special houses were built in which the sick were kept for 40 days under a strict ban on going outside. Arriving sea transport was also ordered to stay on the roads for 40 days without leaving the port.
The third wave of the epidemic of the disease swept through China at the end of the 19th century, taking with it approximately 174 thousand people in 6 months. In 1896, India was struck, losing more than 12 million people during that terrible period. This was followed by South Africa, South and North America. The carriers of the Chinese plague, which was of a bubonic nature, were ship and port rats. At the insistence of quarantine doctors, to prevent the mass migration of rodents to the shore, mooring ropes were supplied with metal discs.
A terrible disease has not bypassed Russia. In the XIII-XIV centuries, the cities of Glukhov and Belozersk completely died out, in Smolensk 5 residents managed to escape. Two terrible years in the Pskov and Novgorod provinces claimed the lives of 250 thousand people.
The incidence of plague, although it went sharply to decline in the 30s of the last century, but periodically reminds of itself. From 1989 to 2003, 38 thousand cases of plague were recorded in the countries of America, Asia, and Africa. In 8 countries (China, Mongolia, Viet Nam, Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Republic of Tanzania, Madagascar, Peru, USA), the epidemic is annual outbreaks,repeating with persistent frequency.
Signs of plague infection
Symptoms:
- General serious condition.
- Development of the inflammatory process in the lungs, lymph nodes and other organs.
- High temperature - up to 39-40 C0.
- Severe headache.
- Frequent nausea and vomiting.
- Dizziness.
- Insomnia.
- Hallucinations.
Plague Shapes
In addition to the above signs, with the skin-bubonic form of the disease, a red spot appears at the site of penetration of the virus, turning into a bubble filled with purulent-bloody contents.
The pustule (vesicle) soon bursts, forming an ulcer. An inflammatory process develops with the formation of buboes in the lymph nodes located close to the place of penetration of the plague microbes.
The pulmonary form of the disease is characterized by inflammation of the lungs (plague pneumonia), accompanied by a feeling of lack of air, cough, sputum with blood.
The intestinal stage is accompanied by profuse diarrhea, often mixed with mucus and blood in the stool.
The septic type of plague is accompanied by significant hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes. It proceeds severely and is often fatal, manifested by general intoxication of the body and lesions of internal organs on days 2–3 (with the pulmonary form) and 5–6 days (with the bubonic form). If left untreated, the death rate is 99.9%.
Treatment
Treatment in progressexclusively in specialized hospitals. If this disease is suspected, isolation of the patient, disinfection, disinfestation and deratization of the premises and all things with which the patient had contact is essential. The locality where the disease was discovered is being quarantined, active vaccination and emergency chemoprophylaxis are being carried out.
Influenza - "Italian fever"
The diagnosis of "influenza" has long become familiar to the population. High fever, sore throat, runny nose - all this is not considered abnormally terrible and is treated with medicines and bed rest. It was completely different a hundred years ago, when about 40 million lives died from this disease.
Influenza was first mentioned during the time of the great ancient physician Hippocrates. Fever in patients, headaches and muscle pain, as well as high contagiousness knocked down hundreds of people in a short period of time, developing into epidemics, the largest of which covered entire countries and continents.
In the Middle Ages, influenza outbreaks were not uncommon and were called "Italian fever", as patients mistakenly believed that sunny Italy was the source of infection. Treatment, consisting of abundant drinking, infusions of medicinal herbs and bee honey, helped little, and the doctors could not think of anything else to save the sick. And among the people, the flu epidemic was considered God's punishment for committed sins, and people fervently prayed to the Almighty in the hope that the disease would bypass their homes.
Until the 16th century, an epidemic was an infection without a name,because the doctors could not figure out the cause of her appearance. According to one hypothesis, it arose as a result of lining up in a special sequence of heavenly bodies. This gave it its original name - "influenza", which means "impact, influence" in Italian. The second hypothesis is less poetic. The pattern of occurrence of a contagious disease was revealed with the onset of the winter months, determining the relationship of the disease with the resulting hypothermia.
The modern name "flu" arose three centuries later, and translated from French and German means "to seize", defining the suddenness of its appearance: a person is caught in the arms of a contagious infection in almost a few hours.
The version has the right to exist that the influenza virus spends breaks between epidemics in the organisms of birds and animals. Doctors all over the planet are in a state of tension and constant readiness for the next wave of the influenza epidemic, which each time visits humanity in a modified state.
The virus of our time - Ebola
Currently, humanity is faced with a new disease - Ebola, against which no means of control have yet been invented, since the new epidemic is a completely unfamiliar type of disease. Starting in February 2014 in Guinea, the infection has spread to Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Mali, the United States and Spain.
The epidemic, caused by unsanitary conditions, poor hygiene, and religious beliefs, boldly overcomeskilometers of territory. The traditions of the local population play into the hands of the rapid spread of a contagious infection, in which they kiss the dead when they say goodbye, wash the dead body, bury it near the water, which leads to a continuous chain of infection for other people.
Preventive measures to prevent epidemics
Any disease outbreak does not just happen and is the result of the relationship between man and nature.
Therefore, in order to avoid the lightning spread of new infections around the world, the following preventive measures are required:
- cleaning the territory, sewerage, water supply;
- improving the he alth culture of the population;
- compliance with the rules of personal hygiene;
- proper handling and storage of food;
- restriction of social activity of bacillus carriers.
