A pandemic is an epidemic that affects several people across the world at the same time. Although there might be peculiar to a particular set of people, a disease becomes a pandemic when it affects several people worldwide at the same time and the rate at which the disease is being contracted is abnormal. Pandemics are caused by numerable factors which may be political, social or cultural. A pandemic can occur as the aftermath of a war or an invasion of a particular region. When nuclear weapons are used in fighting a war, the air is polluted and this often leads to an epidemic disease.
In addition to this, the high population density of a country can lead to a pandemic. This is because a region that has a high population density will likely face problems such poor sanitation, poor dietary and congestion. Furthermore, third world countries that lack basic amenities like portable water, good responsive healthcare and proper sanitation measures will no doubt be at the risk of a pandemic in the case of an outbreak. This is because pandemics usually spread faster than other diseases. Generally, regions where the standard of living of the majority of the population is high will report lesser cases of pandemics.
In the case of an outbreak, there will be a response unit that will curb the transmission of the epidemic. Apart from this, there will be less reported cases of pandemics when the environment is clean and basic amenities are in place. Multinational corporations play a significant role in the cause and prevention of pandemics. Several multinational corporations have been accused of polluting the environment. Apart from this, in a bid to make wider profit margins, multinational corporations tend to use substandard and untested materials to make their products.
If a company like McDonalds falls into this category, the likelihood of an epidemic like Avian Flu will be higher. Thus, multinational corporations play an important role in preventing pandemics. If multinational corporations can make sure that the materials they use are tested and they operate under a pollution free environment, the risks of a pandemic will be reduced.
Reference: • Hirschfelder, A. et al. (2008) Native Americans of North America. Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. • King, C. (2008) Avian Flu. Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD].