HIST 123 Quiz 1 and Midterm Flashcards
How was Corona in 2019 first recognized?
Originally a group of scientists reported a mysterious case of pneumonia. It was found to be coronavirus.
What are Coronaviruses?
- A virus dirst identified and named in 1968.
- Have evidence of coronavirus epidemics from the late 19th century (1890s).
- Wuhan pneumonia as a novel coronavirus: Covid (SARS-CoV-2)
- SARS-Cov-2: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.
How long have we be able to given virus’s identity in laboratories?
Only able to do since the 1920s (Germ Theory)
- but we’ve diseases well before 1920.
What was the “Wuhan Pneumonia”?
- Question of naming
- First name given to Covid 19 (SARS-Cov-2)
- Process of naming is an important thing done very intentionally.
What were the steps of Coronavirus/Process?
- Identity given in the laboratory.
- “Wuhan pneumonia”
- ‘Spillover’ of an animal virus.
Why is the process of naming a disease important?
- Bc it can lead to social issues, economic issues (eg. not buying certain types of meat), lax preventative measures (eg. not worrying about the Spanish Flu bc you’re not in Spain)
What can disease names include?
- Generic descriptive terms (clinical symptoms, physiological processes and anatomical or pathological references/systems affected).
- Age group, population of patients (eg. juvenile, pedriatric)
- Time course, epidemiology, origin (acute, chronic, contagious, zoonotic)
- Severity
- Seasonality (winter, summer)
- Environment (coastal, subterranean)
- Causal pathogen and related descriptors (coronavirus, influenza; novel, variant; subtype)
- Year (+/- a month) on first detection or reporting
- Arbitrary identifier (alpha, beta)
What can’t disease names include?
- Geographic locations; cities, countries, regions, continents (Eg. the Spanish Flu, Lyme Disease, Japanese encephalitus)
- People’s names
- Species/class of animal or food (eg. Swine flu, monkey pox)
- Cultural, population, industry or occupational references (occupational, nurses)
- Terms that incite undue fear (death, fatal, epidemic)
What was Covid (2019) traced to?
- Covid virus traced to a specific animal market in Wuhan China,
-> came from our interaction with other animals -> it was in animals before it spread to humans and became transmissable by humans. - Measles and influenza also started as animal diseases.
-> Our relationships with other animals (ecological; habitat, climate, how closely we interact with them) has a big impact on history of disease.
What is an example of microscopic pathogens as powerful agents in human history?
Eg. Germ Theory -> ppl believed disease were curses from Gods, eg. being caught in the rain.
What is endemic disease?
the amount of a disease that is usually present in a community.
- When Hinshaw said Coronavirus is endemic, it was bc there was Covid around for a while, and it was normal to have a certain level of Covid (bc it wasn’t eradicated).
What is an outbreak?
An increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area.
What is Syphilis’ Relationship to Alberta?
Alberta, especially Edmonton or northern Alberta has especially bad increase in number of cases of syphilis.
-> Outbreak is current
- Can have serious consequences for pregnant people (but can be treated if caught early).
Outbreaks are smaller than what?
- Epidemic
- Epizootics
- Pandemics
What is an epidemic?
when an infectious disease spreads rapidly to many people.
What is an epizootic?
An outbreak of disease in other than human animals.
What is a pandemic?
An epidemic spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.
-> March 2019 named Covid as pandemic -> caused things to close down -> everybody needed to prepare for it.
What was the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Like?
- Worldwide diffusion
- Can have an epidemic that is not everyone everywhere all at once
- Pandemics do not impact ppl all the same in all parts of the world
How do Epidemics occur?
Epidemics occur when you bring together a DISEASE-CAUSING AGENT and SUSCEPTIBLE HOSTS.
- Eg. Malaria-carrying mosquito and a susceptible person.
- the more vulnerable to disease: v young, v old, immunocompromised (not always the same ppl who are more vulnerable) -> Eg. Spanish Flu: men and women in 20s more vulnerable.
What are the different ways epidemics can arise?
- Novel pathogens
- Pathogens becoming more virulent (evolution of pathogens)
- (Old) pathogens moving to a new place (eg. Europeans bringing pathogens to indigenous ppls (colonization); eg through trade goods -> Climate change (pathogens that previously didn’t survive in other habitats is now finding their habitats extended -> eg. Zike virus moving from hot places to other places that have become hotter)
- The easier spread of a pathogen, so that more susceptible ppl are exposed. (Eg. Industrial Revolution -> lots of ppl suddenly coming together, poor hygiene, bad working conditions)
- Changes in susceptibility of hosts (Eg. Vaccines vs anti-vaxxers: advent of vaccines -> weren’t susceptible; now with anti-vaxxers, we have ppl who are now more susceptible to disease and who spread it to others) (eg. Famine: changes ppls susceptibility to disease and can make it more widespread)
Since when has disease received its identity from laboratories?
The 19th century.
- And each disease is typically understood to have a single material cause (virus, bacteria)
- Alongside awareness of the “social determinants of health: non-medical factors that influence health outcomes -> eg. ppl choosing not to wear masks, poverty, stress levels leading to being immunocompromised, concentration of ppl and resources available; religious beliefs.
What is a Pathogen?
An organism causing disease to its host, with the severity of the disease symptoms referred to as virulence.
- Pathogens include: viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
What are some Fungis?
- Ringworm (avoid by drying yourself off thoroughly, washing hands after petting animals, change socks and underwear everyday)
- Candida infections (called thrush when it infects the mouth, throat, esophagus)
- Blastomycosis
- Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) caused by the fungus: Pneumocystis jirovecii.
What are parasites?
Include things that are usually fairly large, cells share many features with human cells.
- May transit or not transmit disease
- Lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the extent of that organism.