Pandemic facts for kids

This picture shows people burying victims of the plague in Tournai long ago.

A pandemic is a very large outbreak of a disease. It happens when an epidemic (a sudden spread of an infectious disease) goes global. This means it spreads across many countries or even the whole world. The word "pandemic" comes from Greek words meaning "all people."

What Makes a Disease a Pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) helps countries prepare for health crises. They say a disease can become a pandemic if three things happen:

• A new disease appears that people have not seen before.
• This new disease makes people very sick.
• The disease spreads easily from one person to another.

A disease is not a pandemic just because it affects many people. It must also be infectious, meaning it can spread. For example, cancer causes many deaths, but it is not a pandemic. This is because cancer does not spread from person to person.

How the WHO Prepares for Pandemics

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a plan to help the world get ready for a flu pandemic. This plan describes different stages of a pandemic. It also gives advice on what countries should do at each stage.

Before a Pandemic Starts

• Phase 1: No new flu viruses have been found in humans.
• Phase 2: No new flu viruses are in humans, but an animal flu virus could infect people.

When a Pandemic Might Start

• Phase 3: A new flu virus infects a few people, but it does not spread easily between humans.
• Phase 4: Small groups of people get sick, and the virus spreads a little from person to person in one area.
• Phase 5: Larger groups of people get sick, but the spread from person to person is still mostly in one area.

During a Pandemic

• Phase 6: This is the pandemic stage. The disease is spreading quickly and steadily among many people around the world.

Related Topics

• Epidemic
• 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
• Self-isolation
• Virus

Images for kids

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  Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, convention centers (pictured here) were deemed to be ideal sites for temporary hospitals, due to their existing infrastructure (electrical, water, sewage). Hotels and dormitories were also considered appropriate because they can use negative pressure technology.

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  Influenza intervals in the CDC's Pandemic Intervals Framework

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  Estimated HIV/AIDS prevalence among young adults (15-49) by country as of 2008

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  Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people

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  1918 Chicago newspaper headlines reflect mitigation strategies for the Spanish flu, such as increased ventilation, arrests for "open-face sneezes and coughs", sequenced inoculations, limitations on crowd size, selective closing of businesses, curfews, and lockdowns.

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  Past and current malaria prevalence in 2009

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  Illustration created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals xultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses; note the spikes that adorn the outer surface, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion.

See also

In Spanish: Pandemia para niños