20th Century Pandemics: Deadly Global Threats With 500K+ US Victims - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the 20th Century, three influenza pandemics posed a significant threat to the globe. The first pandemic, which occurred in the year 1918 ("Spanish Flu"), killed about 20 million people in the world, and among them, there were over 500,000 Americans. One -third of the population in the United States got infected, which reduced the life expectancy by thirteen years. Later in 1957 and 1968, pandemics destroyed millions worldwide and a massive number of Americans. Scientists conducted research and found that viruses from birds had a significant contribution to the outbreaks.

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Currently, another pandemic threatens the world, Influenza A (H5N1). This influenza epidemic is spreading across Africa, Asia, and Europe through birds. Studies have shown that the virus affects domesticated birds such as ducks, migratory birds, and to some extent, Humans. In 1997, Hong Kong recorded the first human infection of the virus. Since then, the virus has spread through into the Eastern Hemisphere, with a 50% mortality rate.

In response to the pandemic, the U.S president George W. Bush on November 1, 2005, issued a National Strategy for Influenza Pandemic. The strategy outlined the effort by the Federal Government in preparation for influenza pandemics.

This paper focuses on addressing pandemics, how they affect the human race, and the roles the local, tribal authorities, states, communities, and the private sector are playing in addressing a pandemic threat. Also, the study will focus on the steps that individuals must take to protect themselves and their loved ones.

The Pandemic Threat

For centuries now, Influenza Viruses have proved to threaten human and animal health. A plague ensues when a new tension of an infectious virus arises which has the potential of infecting and transmitted through human beings. Since humans have minute or no immune to novel infections, global pandemic can occur. Three influenza viruses hit the world in the last Century bringing about in illness of about 30% of the total world populace and 2 percent demise of the infected persons. With historical evidence and the current disease transmission models, projections show that a modern pandemic could wipe up to about 2 million people in America alone.

Scientists have argued that animals and mostly birds' viruses played a significant role in past pandemics. The current H5N1 virus poses a severe threat to humanity. Still, history argues that if the H5N1 infection does not lead to an epidemic, then another vast influenza virus will ensue in the future that will threaten the exposed human population. History was right; currently, COVID-19 has threatened the whole world, causing a global panic.

Influenza pandemics can cause significant societal and economic disruptions. The disruptions can range from absenteeism in multiple divisions due to individual illness, fear of contagion, family illnesses, etc. this can, in turn, affect the functioning of critical infrastructures such as the movement of goods and services, and the operation of institutions such as universities and schools. Thus, a pandemic can have severe effects on national security, the economy, and a society's basic functioning.

Pandemic Response by the United States

The Nationwide Scheme for Pandemic Flu that the United States president announced in 2005 gives an elevated impression of the methodology that the central regime will adopt in preparation and response to an epidemic. The strategy involves three props:

• Communication and preparedness
• Detection and surveillance
• Containment and Response

Preparedness

Pandemic preparedness entails the institution of capacity and infrastructure, which is a practice that can take decades. This process means that nations must start acting immediately. The strategy mentioned above asserts that the central regime will apply all tools of state authority in addressing the contagion hazard (Dweck, 2006). Full collaboration by the federal government with global associates to attempt in the containment of a potential epidemic, and make reasonable efforts to defer the institution of a pandemic infection in the Americas. In case these exertions flop, the effective response to an uncontrolled disaster natively will need the full contribution of all government ranks and society sectors.

The plan for the strategy clarifies that every societal segment must get ready for a plague and will act as part of the retort. Further, the program identifies that the central administration should make available a vibrant standard and assessment tools to apprise the indigenous, state, and the private division on design and reaction actions and the federal organizations must support local and state exertions where crucial.

The approach must translate into palpable effort engaging the federal government fully. However, the federal management has implemented a sequence of activities, both internationally and domestically, in addressing the pandemic risk. These engagements include; (1) discovery of a favorable human vaccine against the H5N1 influenza infection, (2) $7.1 billion budgetary allocation bid over numerous years in backing of plague readiness, and (3) formulation of the transnational Corporation on Pandemic Influenza.

Response to Pandemics by the Federal Government

The federal government has the following goals in response to a pandemic: (1) slow, stop, or limit pandemic spread to the U.S, (2) limit pandemic spread domestically, and ailment, misery, and death extenuation, and (3) infrastructural sustainability and economic influence modification.

Unlike geographical disasters, pandemics spread across the world in few months or a year, probably in high speed and affects all community scopes and structures. Examining scope, the effect of a serious epidemic gets compared to war or an economic crisis than an earthquake or a hurricane. Apart from synchronizing a timely and comprehensive domestic reaction, the national government has prime accountabilities for specific acute roles. Such roles as (1) supporting containment and limiting pandemic arrival through the shores, (2) guidance on protective measures that people must observe, (3) law amendment to facilitate response to a pandemic, (4) monetary policy modification to lessen the economic effect of an epidemic to communities and nations, (5) antiviral and vaccine procurement and distribution, and (6) research acceleration and vaccine and therapies development during an outbreak.

However, communities are the essential elements concerning pandemic response. Due to the nature in which pandemics get distributed across the world in months makes the Federal government unable to support states or nations fully (Senge, 2006). Therefore, indigenous populations have to discourse the non-medical and health effects of a contagion using the existing wealth. This fact implies that cities, states, tribes, and regions have to plan on how to support their needs throughout the epidemic and the Federal government to offer guidance on how to meet the requirements.

Federal Government's Control, Command, and Coordination in Response to a Pandemic

The most important thing for the State Regime is to define an epidemic retort mechanism. The Federal Government uses the NRP, The National Response Plan, as the chief instrument for the harmonization of events of Domestic Importance that guide the National pandemic reaction. The NRP describes the duties of departments from different sectors and delivers the mechanism and structure for active dexterity among public, tribal authorities, local, private division, and NGOs.

During the coordination of federal reaction, a contagion might cause distinctive challenges. First, the kind of support the National Government provides to the nation differs from the support it offers to people affected by natural calamities. Next, although a pandemic may ensue in isolated numbers within a locale, it can take months before disappearing. Lastly, a plague is a persistent medical and civic health reserve that leads to profound and persistent significances of dire structure, peoples' freight and mobility, and the world economy.

The NRP specifies contrivances for the ability of the Federal response, but to sustain the contrivances for a long period presents unique challenges. According to the National Response Plan, policy concerns that the department cannot solve, get aired over the Homeland Safety Convention (HSC) or the National Safety Council (NSC).

Global Efforts

An influenza pandemic is an international menace that requires a global response. With the high transmission frequency and the human population vulnerability, any outbreak of an influenza pandemic threatens all populations in every slice of the globe. The U.S administration set exertions to mitigate and contain the impacts of a pandemic outbreak beyond its borders. Through this action, they limit, slow, or stop the spread of infection into the nation.

However, in many nations, there exist barriers to the implementation of a quick response to a human pandemic. Many countries lack sufficient resources and expertise to help them identify and react to outbreaks independently. These countries also lack strong communication and public health structure, pandemic readiness strategies, and established logistics proficiency. Also, the countries suffer from inadequacy of international mechanisms that sustain operative universal stakeout and response, which include the organized establishment of timely and accurate info to the community.

Implementation Actions for Influenza Pandemic

Modeling

Models are important measures that help to alert policy resolutions by underlining the effects of several intrusions on the binge of infection. Simulations also foretell the economic and social implications of precise movement and transportation intermediations and apprise the operational feasibility valuation for the interventions (Holmes, 2016). Governments expand their infectious disease modeling proficiencies and make sure the mechanisms are ready to share the conclusions of the simulations with local and state authorities, and also the private segment to apprise conveyance resolutions. The models get used to developing control for local and state establishments on mediations that bound the pandemic spread and implementation protocols.

Travel Restrictions and Screening Mechanisms

The accessibility of lucrative screening implements for influenza infections such as quick diagnostic checks helps in limiting the spread of the pandemic, thus avoiding unintended consequences that might arise from the epidemic.

For the Federal Government, plans for containing and responding to a pandemic outbreak are crucial. Some of the actions that it takes include traveler testing for influenza at exit points of the source country, and also upon arrival. To ensure that arrivals from other nations receive appropriate screening and subject to Quarantine or segregation if necessary, the number of airfields accepting transnational trips gets limited.

Isolation and Quarantine of Travelers

The current recommendations for managing air travelers who are ill with an influenza infection, which has pandemic possibility, include separation of sick individuals, Quarantine of the non-sick passengers, and prevention and cure with antiviral prescriptions. In U.S, the Central Government develops protocols and measures for Quarantine and seclusion of travelers in case of an epidemic, before the virus can significantly spread across the nation.

Cargo Movement

By excluding animal products and live animal cargo, the risk of transmission of an influenza virus is minimal. However, if workers in specific settings get appropriate protective measures, the shipments of cargo can contin...