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Epidemics and Pandemics

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Family Medicine

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Abstract

Epidemics and pandemics are large-scale outbreaks of diseases that affect wide geographical areas; the former are more local, and the latter are international and potentially global. They cause significant morbidity and mortality and can have major impacts on society in a variety of ways. While noncommunicable diseases also cause pandemics (e.g., the obesity pandemic), traditionally the term is used to refer to infectious diseases, and that will be the focus of this chapter. Common usage of “outbreak” applies to the rapid emergence or spread of infectious disease; thus, the gradual emergence of disease, such as those caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms, is also outside the scope of this chapter. Table 1 lists some examples of pandemics of the past and present.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Family Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

    Mark K. Huntington

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD, USA

    Mark K. Huntington

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  1. Mark K. Huntington
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Correspondence to Mark K. Huntington .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA

    Paul Paulman

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Robert B. Taylor

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Audrey A. Paulman

  4. Department of Family Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA

    Laeth S. Nasir

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Huntington, M.K. (2021). Epidemics and Pandemics. In: Paulman, P., Taylor, R.B., Paulman, A.A., Nasir, L.S. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_189-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_189-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

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