Introduction
When the effect and spread of disease is greater than what was expected from it in a specific period of time, then it is known as disease outbreak. This outbreak can take place in a small area of world or it might affect thousands and millions of people worldwide. It can be in a specific season or period of time, within some geographic boundary or even in several countries. Disease outbreak can be very costly to the human race and also to the society on the whole, this is because many lives are lost and the state would have to come up with funds to set up relief camps for the effected. These funds would have to be arranged in a short period of time and that’s why government might have to cut back its funds on other projects.
History
There have been many disease outbreak over the past decades, some of them striking fear of virus among the general public. One of the major outbreak was the Great Influenza, also referred to as Spanish Flu. It began in the United States and is counted as the deadliest plague that ever hit the human race. The Black Death Plague caused the death of nearly one third of the population of Europe in 1300s-1400s. A Black Death Plague outbreak occurred again in late 1700s. Some of the modern scientists believe that this disease was caused by a virus like Ebola or even anthrax.
Features
Due to the death toll caused by disease outbreak like the Great Influenza, many researchers have come up with steps and precautions to investigate outbreaks in different societies and cultures. They have some up with these steps to ensure that the majority if not all of the population is kept safe from outbreaks of disease. The first step is to get a team of researchers and doctors that are familiar with the type of disease that is developing in the society. Then this team has to verify that the outbreak of a particular virus is taking place in the society. To do this, they should get recent health records from hospitals and health departments. This is done to identify the symptoms in a patient due to the virus in question. The team should run tests and define the nature of the disease. Once this has been done, then the doctors should come up with the precautions and medicines necessary for party that has been effected from this disease and also for those who don’t have this virus in their system. This step is a trial and error method because every virus has a different counter and has to be dealt in its own specific way. After all the research and findings it is necessary for the team to report their results to the responsible department of government so that the information can be communicated to the society.
Tips and comments
It is important for every person in the society to be aware of the diseases and outbreaks that are taking place in his or her surroundings. It is told by many doctors that one should wash his or her hands before eating because many of the diseases are caused by eating with dirty hands. The study of outbreaks is very important because it helps the scientists to develop vaccines and medicines that improves public health in long run. Furthermore, it guarantees that no future disease outbreak would occur.
