Epidemic

Definition

An epidemic is generally defined as the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behaviour, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy. The community or region and the period in which the cases occur are specified precisely. The number of cases indicating the presence of an epidemic varies according to the agent, size, and type of population exposed, previous experience or lack of exposure to the disease, and time and place of occurrence (WHO).

Facts and figures

Epidemics occur when an agent and susceptible hosts are present in adequate numbers, and the agent can be effectively conveyed from a source to the susceptible hosts. More specifically, an epidemic may result from:

  • A recent increase in amount or virulence of the agent
  • The recent introduction of the agent into a setting where it has not been before
  • An enhanced mode of transmission so that more susceptible persons are exposed
  • A change in the susceptibility of the host response to the agent, and/or
  • Factors that increase host exposure or involve introduction through new portals of entry (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Epidemics may be the consequence of disasters of another kind, such as tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, droughts, etc. Epidemics may also attack animals, causing local economic disasters (IFRC).

Accordingly to WHO’s classification, these are the major pandemic and epidemic diseases:

UN-SPIDER Regional Support Offices with hazard-specific expertise

Related content on the Knowledge Portal

  • Facebook Connectivity Lab in collaboration with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Colombia University combines machine vision AI with satellite imagery and census information to create population density maps. With the integration of demographic information, specifically related to age and gender, these maps collectively provide information on both the location and the demographic of a population in a certain country. The population density maps cover the majority of countries around the world.
  • Facebook Connectivity Lab in collaboration with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Colombia University combines machine vision AI with satellite imagery and census information to create population density maps. With the integration of demographic information, specifically related to age and gender, these maps collectively provide information on both the location and the demographic of a population in a certain country. The population density maps cover the majority of countries around the world.
  • Having reliable and timely population distribution data can make a life or death difference for individuals facing crises or living in conflict-ridden regions. These data are also essential for development decision-making and planning and for monitoring progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the international community. We need to know where people are located, what conditions they are facing, what infrastructure is available, and what basic services they can access. We also need to ensure that no one is left off the map in pursuit of meeting the SDGs. 

    Gridded population data, which often use remote sensing inputs to improve the spatial allocation of population within a country, are vital for all these purposes. Together with the  growing variety of applications that require spatial population data, there is now a bewildering array of population grids, and users need to know which ones are most suitable for their applications…

    read more
  • The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space.

    The MoU brings together NASA's wealth of open-source spacecraft data, tools, and expertise and UNOOSA's unique position as the only UN entity dedicated to outer space affairs, to expand global opportunities to leverage the benefits of space. The partners will design capacity-building programmes, particularly for institutions in countries that do not yet have or that are developing space capabilities, to help them access space.

    Together, UNOOSA and NASA will develop ways to leverage the Artemis programme as part of UNOOSA's Access to Space 4 All Initiative, which offers opportunities for international researchers and institutions, especially in…

    read more
    11/01/2021
  • In collaboration with the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) of Argentina, the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) recently launched a digital platform to improve the integration of satellite data for environmental monitoring in Latin America. The Comprehensive Regional Satellite Information System (SIRIS) provides access to satellite information in order to enhance decision-making and facilitate disaster management.

    The SIRIS platform provides access to satellite imagery for different areas. The platform supplies information on the agriculture and forestry sector to better monitor the impact of natural disasters on agricultural production and woodland. It also offers up-to-date and archived data on fires to strengthen early warning and build long-term resilience. On floods, information provided by SIRIS indicates the water level to improve damage evaluation of the impacted area and facilitate humanitarian relief. In…

    read more
    20/12/2020
  • A new report outlines the impact of Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data on various policy areas. The 2020 edition of the “Atlas of the Human Planet”, recently published and launched virtually by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission as a deliverable to the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Human Planet Initiative, explores the impact of GHSL data on various policy areas, including disaster risk management.

    GHSL data refers to “global spatial information, evidence-based analytics and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet”. This data relies on spatial information from Landsat 8, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2. It is mainly cost-free and…

    read more
    18/02/2021
  • The online platform features over one million geospatial layers and thousands of statistics series related to food security, crops, soil, land, water, climate, fisheries, livestock, forestry and more. It also includes information on COVID-19's impact on food and agriculture.
  • World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM) is a unique initiative of DMICS to bring researchers, policy makers and practitioners from around the world in the same platform to discuss various challenging issues of disaster risk management. The mission of WCDM is to promote interaction of science, policy and practices to enhance understanding of risks and advance actions for reducing risks and building resilience to disasters.

    The Conference will discuss various topics, including:

    • Remote Sensing, GIS and Drones for Disaster Risk Management
    • Early Warning of Hydro-Meteorological Disasters: Tasks Ahead
    • Early Warning of Earthquakes: How Far, How Near
    • Operationalising Early Warning of Landslides
    • Application of Artificial Intelligence for Managing Risks of Disasters
    • Emerging Technologies for Climate & Disaster Resistant Agriculture
    The Conference will provide in-depth analysis of the…
    read more
  • The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected humanity in an unprecedented manner. This has brought attention to pandemics as a disaster with global disruption of political, social and economic life. In the light of such a global affliction, UNESCO and its "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage", comprising the largest membership of 193 States Parties, is uniquely placed to address these issues, which require collaboration and cooperation among all countries. The Convention has designated 1121 World Heritage Sites, with 869 iconic cultural monuments and sites, and 252 natural and mixed sites which are home to the most exceptional wildlife and forests on earth.

    Pandemics can have serious repercussions for these sites affecting their outstanding universal values. These unique protected areas and cultural spaces are also a critical source of dependence, sustenance and coping mechanism for the associated society, communities, species and…

    read more

Term Parents

UN-SPIDER Regional Support Offices with hazard-specific expertise