5.8 Chapter Summary
Key Summary Points
- There are a number of pandemics that have occurred throughout history. Some of the most devastating ones include the Black Death, Spanish Flu, and HIV/AIDS.
- Negative human responses are common across pandemics including: resistance to public health measures (e.g., anti-masking, anti-vaccination, anti-isolation); stereotyping and scapegoating; and misinformation campaigns.
- Pandemics have an array of social costs and implications, which include impacts on: vulnerable populations, social customs and practices (i.e., travel bans, funerals, dealing with bodies), and grief and depression felt throughout society.
Additional Resources
Additional Viewings
CrashCourse. (July 24, 2014). Disease! Crash course world history 203 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PLBmUVYYeg
Additional Readings
Florencio, J. (November 27, 2018). AIDS: Homophobia and moralistic images of 1980s still haunt our view of HIV – That must change. TheConversation.com. https://theconversation.com/aids-homophobic-and-moralistic-images-of-1980s-still-haunt-our-view-of-hiv-that-must-change-106580
Huremović, D. (May 2019). Chapter 2 – Brief history of pandemics (pandemics throughout history). National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7123574/pdf/978-3-030-15346-5_Chapter_2.pdf
Jarus, O. (November 15, 2021). 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/worst-epidemics-and-pandemics-in-history.html
Landau, M. (July 22, 2021). Vaccines are highly unlikely to cause side effects long after getting the shot. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/vaccines-are-highly-unlikely-to-cause-side-effects-long-after-getting-the-shot-
McDonald, G. (July 15, 2020). 5 advances that followed pandemics. History. https://www.history.com/news/pandemics-advances
Miller, B. (November 2, 2020). Science denial and COVID conspiracy theories. JAMA Network. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2772693
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). (n.d.). Debunking immunization myths. https://www.paho.org/en/topics/immunization/debunking-immunization-myths
Piret, J. & Boivin, G. (2021). Pandemics throughout history. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874133/pdf/fmicb-11-631736.pdf