Eight Characteristics of Pandemics.
The eight characteristics are related to the microbes themselves, or to the human–microbe interaction.*
Eight Characteristics of Pandemics.
The eight characteristics are related to the microbes themselves, or to the human–microbe interaction.*
| Feature | Comments |
|---|---|
| Novelty | Mostly unknown to the medical profession |
| Minimal population immunity | Frequent absence of specific IgG antibodies |
| Explosiveness | Determined mainly by size or density of population and factors related to type of transmission, for example vector population |
| Fast disease movement | Type and speed of human transmission |
| Wide geographic extension | Social interaction of populations, widespread common source |
| Infectiousness | Ability of microbes to produce disease (minimal infective dose) |
| Contagiousness | Proportion of completely asymptomatic cases, super-spreaders, and evident and pathognomonic disease markers |
| Severity | Need for hospitalization, artificial ventilation, or intensive rehydration; chronicity or death |