QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY Colllege

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General Education Division

Module 10
WORLDWIDE EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC AND IT’S
EFFECT TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, you should;

1. Identify the meaning, terms and concept of pandemic and epidemic;

2. Describe the concept of pandemic and epidemic and it’s effect to the
sustainable development of mankind; and
3. Understand how these events have evolved through the many years.

Introduction

As the Philippines (as of writing) and the world is experiencing the effects
of COVID-19 which had been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO)
as a pandemic, it is but timely and proper to provide a module exclusively
intended to discuss this world health catastrophe. Based on the definition of the
WHO three conditions must be present in order to consider the situation as
having to experience a pandemic. One, the disease or virus has spread
worldwide and not in isolation to a certain region or continent alone. Two, the
disease or the virus is something new and therefore can easily spread around
the world. And third, most people in the world have not had any immunity agaisnt
the disease or virus. There may be other qualifications to consider the presence
of a pandemic such as the demography of those who may be infected, what if the
conditions of the climate changes, will it have any effects on the spread of the
virus? And other querries relevant to considering the presence of a pandemic.
 Historians have revealed that the last pandemic that the world had
experience was in the early part of the 20 th century. It caused the death of
thousands of lives and infection to millions of people. However, the impact or
severity tends to be higher in pandemics in part because of the much larger
number of people in the population who lack pre-existing immunity to the new
virus. When a large portion of the population is infected, even if the proportion of
those infected that go on to develop severe disease is small, the total number of
severe cases can be quite large.

Lesson (Worldwide Pandemic & Epidemic)

What is an Epidemic?

An Epidemic (from Greek ἐπί epi "upon or above" and δῆμος demos "people") is
the rapid spread of disease to a large number of people in a given population within a
short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infections, an attack rate in excess
of 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks is considered an epidemic.

Epidemics of infectious disease are generally caused by several factors including

a change in the ecology of the host population (e.g., increased stress or increase in the
density of a vector species), a genetic change in the pathogen reservoir or the
introduction of an emerging pathogen to a host population (by movement of pathogen or
host). Generally, an epidemic occurs when host immunity to either an established
pathogen or newly emerging novel pathogen is suddenly reduced below that found in
the endemic equilibrium and the transmission threshold is exceeded.

An epidemic may be restricted to one location; however, if it spreads to other

countries or continents and affects a substantial number of people, it may be termed a
pandemic.The declaration of an epidemic usually requires a good understanding of a
baseline rate of incidence; epidemics for certain diseases, such as influenza, are
defined as reaching some defined increase in incidence above this baseline. A few
cases of a very rare disease may be classified as an epidemic, while many cases of a
common disease (such as the common cold) would not. Watch the link to understand
how an epidemic can lead to a pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8YbNbdaco
What is a Pandemic?

Meriam Webster defined pandemic as occurring over a wide geographic area

and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.

Most virus pandemics have been caused by influenza (flu) viruses. Flu viruses
can change from season to season and while health professionals are pretty good at
predicting how the virus will change, occasionally a new virus pops up that doesn't
behave as predicted. That's when a pandemic is most likely to occur because most
people don't have immunity to the new virus.

The most deadly pandemic in history was the Spanish flu of 1918. The virus
infected an estimated one-third of the world's population and was responsible for
causing between 20 million and 50 million deaths — that's an estimated 1% to 3%
mortality rate. The virus didn't originate in Spain, but the country was the first to report
on the outbreak, so people began calling it the Spanish flu (the Spanish thought it
started in France and called it the "French flu"). The 1957-1958 Asian flu pandemic was
triggered by a new strain of influenza A virus (H2N2) that emerged in East Asia,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus killed an
estimated 1.1 million people worldwide, which corresponded to an estimated death rate
of 0.019%, according to a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The 1968 Hong Kong flu pandemic was caused by a new strain of the H3N2
virus that arose in Southeast Asia. Again, the pandemic earned its name because of
where initial news reports of the outbreak originated, and not because of where the
virus originated. The Hong Kong flu killed an estimated 1 million people worldwide, or
about 0.03% of the world's population, according to the CDC. The H1N1 swine flu
pandemic of 2009-2010 was caused by a new strain of the same virus that caused the
Spanish flu — the H1N1 virus. The swine flu infected an estimated 700 million to 1.4
billion people, which was far more in absolute terms compared with the Spanish flu. But
the mortality rate was far less, at an estimated 0.01% to 0.08%, according to an
analysis published in the journal The Lancet.

Seasonal flu is a year-round disease burden across the globe and although the
vaccine is effective, deaths from flu-related illness still occur. The World Health
Organization estimates that seasonal influenza typically causes 290,000 to 650,000
deaths per year.

(Details of this lesson where particularly taken from the references as indicated below to
avoid any mistake in the interpretation of the concepts since the author of this module
admittedly is not an experts in the field)

The COVID – 19 and Sustainable Development

(Details of this lesson where taken from articles in the internet. It is for reading and
comprehension purposes of the learner only)

A. What Does COVID-19 Mean For Sustainable Development?

Brookings Apr 20, 2020
(part of the article entitled “How Cities Can Focus on Sustainable Development” by Anthony F. Pipa)

It’s much too early to know the full extent of the economic, social, and psychological
dislocation this crisis will cause. But it’s clear that mayors and city officials are on the
front lines, with implications both broad and deep for local governments.

At the same time, while the top priority is to stop the virus and stabilize economies and
communities, even U.N. Secretary General Guterres has pointed to the 2030 Agenda as
a natural organizing principle once the world can shift its focus to recovery.
At this early juncture, it’s risky to hazard what that will mean. National leaders, mayors,
and city governments will be faced with a new and unpredictable set of challenges.
Leaders will encounter immense pressure to develop new policy solutions and surge
financial resources at warp speed in a chaotic environment.
The ambitious quantitative benchmarks of the SDGs may now look unreachable or even
unreasonable. Targets asking for a 50 percent reduction in those living under the
national poverty line or achieving full employment by 2030 take on a new light, given the
hit that economies are experiencing. It’s fair to ask: What might the 2030 Agenda offer
to cities in such a situation?
The answer likely lies in the essential principles at the core of the SDGs and the 2030
Agenda:
 Leave no one behind. The SDGs ask policymakers and decisionmakers to
focus on reaching the most vulnerable and furthest behind first.
 Point toward a “North Star.” The mobilizing power of the SDGs comes in part
from their time-bound nature and their focus on community-level outcomes.
 Embrace interdependence. The SDGs ask policymakers to advance progress
on social, economic, and environmental dimensions at once.
 Develop unusual partnerships. City leaders love the connective properties of
the 2030 Agenda. The SDGs are a lingua franca that offer the basis for new
partnerships with businesses, universities, civil society, and local philanthropy.
 B. Why we cannot lose sight of the Sustainable Development Goals during
coronavirus
Written by
Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway,
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President and Co-chair, Republic of Ghana, UN Secretary- General’s SDG Advocates
This article is published in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org.

While we must scale up the immediate health response to curb the spread of COVID-
19, the response to the pandemic cannot be de-linked from the SDGs, write the Prime
Minister of Norway and President of the Republic of Ghana.

From reversing progress on good health (SDG 3) to the negative impact on 1.25 billion
students (SDG 4), the pandemic is affecting vulnerable societies the most.
Our world today is dealing with a crisis of monumental proportions. The novel
coronavirus is wreaking havoc across the globe, upending lives and livelihoods. The
cost of the pandemic in terms of loss of human lives is painful, but the effects on the
global economy and on sustainable development prospects are also worrying. The
International Monetary Fund estimates that our world has entered into a recession, and
while the full economic impact of the crisis is difficult to predict, preliminary estimates
place it at US$2 trillion.
The pandemic has exposed fundamental weaknesses in our global system. It has
shown how the prevalence of poverty, weak health systems, lack of education, and a
lack of global cooperation exacerbate the crisis.
If there was any doubt that our world faces common challenges, this pandemic should
categorically put that to rest. The crisis has re-enforced the interdependence of our
world. It has brought to the fore the urgent need for global action to meet people’s basic
needs, to save our planet and to build a fairer and resilient world. We face common,
global challenges that we must solve through common, global solutions. After all, in a
crisis like this we are only as strong as the weakest link. This is what the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), the global blueprint to end poverty, protect our planet and
ensure prosperity, are all about.
Sadly, this pandemic hit at a time when the SDGs were gaining traction and a significant
number of countries were making good progress. As the world is seized with containing
the spread of the virus and addressing its negative impacts, the reality is that countries
are resetting their priorities, and reallocating resources to deal with the pandemic. This
certainly is the right thing to do because the priority now is to save lives, and we must
do so at all costs.
That is why we must all support the call by the United Nations to scale up the immediate
health response to suppress the transmission of the virus, end the pandemic and focus
on people particularly, women, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium
enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups already at risk. Working together
we can save lives, restore livelihoods and bring the global economy back on track.
But what we cannot afford to do, even in these crucial times, is shift resources away
from crucial SDG actions. The response to the pandemic cannot be de-linked from the
SDGs. Indeed, achieving the SDGs will put us on a firm path to dealing with global
health risks and emerging infectious diseases. Achieving SDG 3 (Good Health) will
mean strengthening the capacity of countries for early warning, risk reduction and
management of national and global health risks.
This pandemic has exposed the crisis in global health systems. And while it is severely
undermining prospects for achieving SDG 3 by 2030, it is also having far-reaching
effects on all other SDGs.
Emerging evidence of the broader impact of the crisis on our quest to achieve the SDGs
is troubling. UNESCO estimates that some 1.25 billion students are affected, posing a
serious challenge to the attainment of SDGs Goal 4 (Quality Education); and the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates some 25 million people could lose
their jobs, with those in informal employment suffering most from lack of social
protection. Unfortunately, these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Crucially, in many parts of the world, the pandemic and its effects are exacerbated by
the crisis in achieving clean water and sanitation targets (SDG 6), weak economic
growth and the absence of decent work (SDG 8), pervasive inequalities (SDG 10), and
above all, entrenched poverty (SDG 1) and food insecurity (SDG 2). The World Bank
estimates the crisis will push some 11 million people into poverty.
Even at this stage in the pandemic, we cannot deny the fact that the crisis is teaching
us, as global citizens, the utmost value in being each other’s keeper, in leaving no one
behind, and in prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable.
What is acutely needed is enhanced political will and commitment. Our world has the
knowledge, capacity and innovation, and if we are ambitious enough, we can muster the
resources needed to achieve the Goals. Buoyed by the spirit of solidarity, Governments,
businesses, multi-lateral organisations and civil society have in the shortest possible
time been able to raise billions, and in some cases, trillions to support efforts to combat
this pandemic. If we attach the same level of importance and urgency to the fight
against poverty, hunger, and climate change, we will find success in this Decade of
Action on the SDGs.
As the world responds to this pandemic and seeks to restore global prosperity, we must
focus on addressing underlying factors through the Sustainable Development Goals.
We must not relent our efforts, even amid this crisis. While some SDG gains have been
eroded, this should not deflate our energy. They should rather spur us to accelerate and
deepen our efforts during this Decade of Action to ‘recover better’, and build a healthier,
safer, fairer and a more prosperous world.

What is this “Sustainable Development Goals”?

Before we even begin with our discussion, let us first watch the video and learn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V8oFI4GYMY
 It is said that, this is the only world that we have. The only planet where man can
live and survive. Though studies of life in other planets are now being conducted, but
that can take centuries upon centuries of massive research. In the meantime, man has
to be contented with the fact that this is the only world we have.

This in mind, all countries in the world must come together to promote the
preservation and conservation of our world and its resources. The United Nations in
2015 adopted what is known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the
Global Goals (GG). It has for its purpose the immediate call for action to end poverty,
protect the planet and ensure that all men live in peace and prosperity.

It has created a 17-point program ending in 2030 hoping to have achieved its
mission and vision for the world. Owing to the fact, that these goals are closely linked
and connected with each other to create a balance social, economic and environmental
sustainability.

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world includes:

GOAL 1: No Poverty

GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

GOAL 4: Quality Education

GOAL 5: Gender Equality

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

Research further and discuss each goals presented in class. Allow the learners
to take a look at what powerful and not so powerful states are doing to address these
goals. Argue, debate and comprehensively provide an intellectual tete-a-tete so that
learners will have a broader knowledge of this matter. The faculty will be the moderator.
Learning Activity

More videos to see and learn :https://www.livescience.com/pandemic.html

Assessment

Differentiate between Epidemic and Pandemic and identify by researching on known

epidemics that had happened in our country and how does it affect sustainable
development?

Discuss the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) today in giving solution to
the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19.

Reflection

The world is facing the worldwide pandemic. Here in the Philippines, many have
been affected (and infected as of writing) because we have to follow the guidelines of
the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). Make your reflection, “Is this COVID-19 going to
come to an end? Is this a catastrophe? If it is, did the word of God really mentioned this
to happen? What are the implications to the emergence of this virus to the lives of
mankind? What lessons, challenges and obstacles does men need to overcome to
defeat this virus?”

Assignment

Make a research of the pandemic that happened in 1918 as it compared to COVID-

19. Make a narration of the facts such as its history, the length of the pandemic, specific
details of those infected (when necessary), the flattening of the curve, the cure and
other pertinent details.

References

Principles of Epidemiology, Third Edition (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia: Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. 2012
Epidemic." Black's Medical Dictionary, 42nd Edition. London: A&C Black, 201e. Web.
17 September 2012
The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management, Blackwell Science.
 Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.
Green MS; Swartz T; Mayshar E; Lev B; Leventhal A; Slater PE; Shemer Js (January
2002). "When is an epidemic an epidemic?.
Lodge, T. (1903). A treatise of the plague: containing the nature, signes, and accidents
of the same, with the certaine and absolute cure of the fevers, botches and
carbuncles that raigne in these times. London: Edward White.
Martin PM, Martin-Granel E (June 2006). "2,500-year evolution of the term epidemic"
(PDF). Emerging Infect. Dis. 12 (6): 976–80. doi:10.3201/eid1206.051263. PMC
3373038. PMID 16707055.
Pipa, Anthony F. (2020). How Cities Can Focus on Sustainable Development (What
Does COVID-19 Mean for Sustainable Development?). Brookings
Solberg, Erna and Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo Dankwa (2020). Why we cannot lose
sight of the Sustainable Development Goals during coronavirus. Thomas Reuters
Foundations trust.org
"The 2019–2020 Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
2) Pandemic: A Joint American College of Academic International Medicine-World
Academic Council of Emergency Medicine Multidisciplinary COVID-19 Working
Group Consensus Paper". ResearchGate. Retrieved May 16, 2020.