The word epidemic is often used to describe outbreaks of disease that significantly exceed expectations. It is also used to describe the spread of other detrimental trends in a population such as the obesity epidemic, which describes the rapid rise of body weight in a country or region over time.
Epidemic is a dynamic process that starts with one or more infected individuals and grows exponentially over a geographic area, depending on the kind of pathogen, host, and environmental factors. The growth rate of an epidemic can be estimated using the basic reproduction number (R0), which shows how many secondary infections can be expected from each infected person if everyone is susceptible and the disease is spreading at a steady rate.
When an outbreak reaches the level of global significance, it is called a pandemic. The pandemic phase is distinguished by the fact that cases of the disease occur across several countries at once, and in some instances, the entire globe. A pandemic can be ended either by the emergence of new vaccines or when the population gains immunity from the disease.
The goal of Pandemic PACT is to provide an objective, timely view of global funding and evidence for research on diseases with pandemic potential and broader preparedness efforts. This helps funders make better investment decisions, channeling resources to where they are needed most. It also supports communities to be safer and more resilient during a pandemic by staying home when possible, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands frequently.
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