Epidemic diseases are those that affect large numbers of people in one area simultaneously. Pandemic is a term that refers to an epidemic that has spread to more than one area.


There have been a number of devastating pandemics in human history, generally those that came about with domestication of animals – such as influenza and tuberculosis. The most obvious epidemic in history has been the plagues. These are acute epidemic infectious diseases with high fatal rates. In other words, they are sudden and unexpected, spread quickly and kill lots of people each time. The best known plague is the Black Death in the 1300s.