Modern Epidemics. Salvador Macip

Modern Epidemics - Salvador Macip


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outbreak in history, but it’s still a disease that is restricted to certain areas of the globe. At the same time, we’ve seen how the coronavirus family has gained prominence, and how these microbes are capable of creating worldwide alerts. The first serious illness caused by these viruses was SARS which, though it was seen as a possible long-term risk at the beginning of the century, appears to be fairly well under control for the moment. After SARS, in 2012 there was MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), but this, too, remained quite localized. It wasn’t until the appearance of the third great coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that all the alarms went off.

      As for COVID-19, its impact will depend on how quickly an effective vaccine is found, produced and administered, and on the virus’s ability to keep changing. It seems clear that it’s a big enough threat to be taken seriously, and that it’s going to cause major problems for quite some time. But, the most likely thing is that we will end up getting the better of it, if all goes well. It’s possible that, afterwards, there will still be outbreaks but, in normal circumstances – once a good part of the population has a certain immunity after coming into contact with the virus, and when we have the appropriate complementary tools (vaccine, antivirals, and so on) – it would never cause another pandemic like that of 2020. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that we can lower our guard. I must insist that there will be more pandemics, and the danger that one of them will be caused by an even more aggressive virus is always going to be present.

      Though it may seem excessive, isolating infected populations, encouraging hygiene and avoiding large gatherings of people are highly effective strategies in these situations, especially when it comes to making sure that the disease doesn’t cause its own particular kind of collapse of a country’s health system, which would end up with many collateral victims. This is crucial in the early phases of an epidemic. But it’s also necessary to improve public management of the crisis, which is invariably one of the weak points. And there will always be someone who believes the whole thing is a plot or an exaggeration, but we must manage to ensure that this position remains marginal, and that people listen to those who know what they are talking about. Hence, there needs to be a sound, well-coordinated communication strategy and, if possible, one with a single, reliable source of information (maybe the WHO, or maybe a new body) backed by all the authorities and the media and making the details widely available. And all of us also need to make an effort to learn a bit more about microbes.

      However, in order to make these kinds of decisions, we need clear information about the present risks of suffering from a serious infection and what we can do to prevent it. It isn’t always easy to obtain this because we are constantly finding clashing opinions in the media, ranging from those announcing an apocalypse to others who believe there is nothing to worry about. Who is right? We must respect viruses and bacteria and understand that we can’t always defeat them, and now, well into the twenty-first century, we also need to know the extent to which it’s possible that a pandemic can cause millions of deaths, as has happened several times throughout history.

      In the following pages, I’ve tried to fill in the gaps in general knowledge about microbes and to provide readers with a direct account of, and basic data about, such common but, in fact, little understood diseases like flu and AIDS, which are caused by the most important microbes. On some fronts of our struggle against infections, we remain in a tactical draw, with no guarantees that the situation will continue like this indefinitely. On others, we are clearly losing the game. And according to some experts, the situation can get worse at any time and we won’t be able to do anything to prevent it. We shouldn’t even count on our few victories because all the ground we’ve gained could be lost overnight if we are not careful.

      We must realize that viruses and bacteria haven’t only shaped the history of humanity, they are also responsible for millions of deaths, although they are not always front-page news. We need to know the subject well enough not to be flummoxed by the inflated reports we find in the media but, at the same time, to know when we have to act quickly. We must be aware of the strategies we have within our reach for combating microorganisms and the extent to which they can protect us. And, above all, we need to put an end to a series of myths and false beliefs that are hindering advances in the area of health. My aim as an educator is


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