In the realm of infectious diseases, a pandemic is the worst case where millions of individuals globally are affected. The likelihood of pandemics has increased over the past century from the Antonine Plague of 165 AD, Justinian Plague of 541 A.D., the Black Death, Russian Flu, Spanish Flu, Asian Flu, HIV/AIDS, and the current novel Corona Virus. So far, the Spanish flu (H1N1 virus) of 1918 is recorded as the deadliest because it affected about 500 million people and led to the death of 50 million persons. The heightened occurrence of pandemics globally is characterized by heightened mental health and economic or financial crisis.
Pandemics infect many people globally, leading to widespread mental illnesses in large populations, followed by painful deaths. The outbreak of the "Black Death" in the 14 th century, which led to the death of almost half the population of Europe, had a high impact on mental well-being (Olveda, & Yuesheng, 2014). The Spanish flu of the 20 th century was another deadly pandemic that cost the lives of over 50 million people. Observing thousands of bodies lying on the streets created emotional tension, sadness, anxiety, and fear. In the 14 th century, when the "Black Death" wiped half of the European population, many families lost their loved ones and lived alone in isolation for many years ( Cease, 2013) . The massive and sudden deaths plunged many people into a chronic state of anxiousness and helplessness. Spanish flu pandemic affected the mental well-being of millions of people globally, especially those who watched the painful death of their parents, children, and siblings ( Ayers & Yellowlees, 2009) . Thousands of children are left without parents while others develop a feeling of anger, guilt, abandonment, and confusion. By November 1918, over 31,000 children in New York City alone had lost their parents and were left alone with a feeling of guilt and sadness (Eghigian, 2020). Survivors of Spanish flu reported sleep disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental distraction, depression, difficulty coping with work, and high suicidal thoughts.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The current Covid-19 pandemic is characterized by heightened mental instability globally. Healthcare workers in the frontline providing care services to Covid-19 patients have elevated risks of mental health problems in the long and short term. Healthcare workers reveal psychological distress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), burnout, anxiety, and high received stress (Stuijfzand et al., 2020). Pandemic outbreak requires healthcare providers to suddenly change their line of duties to work even in high-risk intensive care, manage critical medical situations, take care of severely traumatized people, and recurrent witness death and trauma (Carmassi et al., 2020). All these changes are associated with an elevated level of psychological distress. Cases of mental illness are high among infected patients due to stigmatization and discrimination from their family members, friends, and society (Poudel & Subedi, 2020). During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola, there were high mental illness cases similar to those experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic (Poudel & Subedi, 2020). The massive loss of jobs and salary cut during pandemic increases mental instability in families, organizations, and communities. Tanne's study shows that the rising number of Covid 19 cases and death, uncertainty in the spread of the virus, and massive loss of jobs have increased mental disorders in the U.S. (2020). Nations need to be prepared to ensure good psychotherapy is offered to its people during a pandemic to reduce high cases of mental illnesses.
The outbreak of a pandemic represents a severe threat to the global economy. The economic impact is experienced through direct cost, long-term burden, and indirect costs. Direct economic cost during a pandemic can be high, and it is associated with massive closure of businesses and loss of jobs. During the outbreak of Ebola, the economy of West Africa was undermined. Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2015 cost $6 billion direct costs, and the Who Health Organization had to spend 20 times more emergency funding (Gostin & Friedman, 2015). Businesses like the aviation and tourism industry are more affected during pandemics due to measures adopted to reduce the spread of the disease (Helble & Fink, 2020). Spanish flu outbreak, Ebola, and similar cases of border closure and travel restrictions are experienced. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has already shaken the global economy, with the tourism and transport sector being the most hit sectors. Lockdown, which is among the effective measures in slowing the virus's spread, has affected the transport sector as countries, especially in Europe, closing their borders (Poudel & Subedi, 2020). The closure of Europe, Asia, and some African nations limited the availability of raw materials. Other countries began holding their suppliers, resulting in a severe effect on the import and export of manufactured products.
The long term burden of pandemics emerges from the loss of earning to those who die. Pandemic kills even the young, talented people who could have brought tremendous value to the business. The estimated economic cost resulting from an epidemic ranges from U SD 374 billion for a mild pandemic to USD 7.3 trillion for a severe pandemic (Qiu et al., 2017). Companies lose employees due to high death rates experienced during the outbreak leading to low production. During the "Black Death," pandemic, young, energetic, and visionary employees and the older population died, leaving businesses with no employees and managers. Millions of companies collapsed, leaving the country struggling economically. It took many centuries for Europe to regain its population and rebuild its economy. Indirect costs associated with the outbreak of pandemics are also very high. Destruction on the regional trade and transport sector as a result of pandemic takes years to rebuild. Families, especially those who lost their jobs during the pandemic, increase poverty, and limit the family's ability to pay off unscrupulous loans and investment in education, health, and other areas. While putting restrictive measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 or any future pandemic in the future, the government needs to consider its long-term effect on the economy.
In summary, pandemics have a detrimental effect on various populations' mental health and the global economy. Lockdown, curfews, quarantine, self-isolations, and loss of jobs affect the mental well-being of individuals. Measures put in place by the governments to prevent further spread limit the grief of families. Although these measures are put in place to limit the spread, it has created fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, with the most affected ones developing severe mental disorders. The pandemic's economic impact is vast, with many businesses closing up and several individuals losing their jobs. The economic recession following the pandemic outbreak increases unhealthy conflict, family breakdown due to financial pressure, depression, and suicidal thoughts. In this current Covid-19 pandemic, there is a need to emphasize coping strategies, mental health intervention, and equal sharing of available resources.
References
Ayers, K., & Yellowlees, P. (2009). Mental health considerations during a pandemic influenza outbreak. Internet J Rescue Disaster Med , 9 (1).
Carmassi, C., Foghi, C., Dell'Oste, V., Cordone, A., Bertelloni, C. A., Bui, E., & Dell'Osso, L. (2020). PTSD symptoms in healthcare workers facing the three coronavirus outbreaks: What can we expect after the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research , 113312.
Cease, C. (2013). Black Death and its implication on history . GRIN Verlag.
Eghigian, G. (2020). The Spanish Flu Pandemic and Mental Health: A Historical Perspective . Psychiatric Times. Retrieved 21 October 2020, from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/spanish-flu-pandemic-and-mental-health-historical-perspective.
Gostin, L. O., & Friedman, E. A. (2015). A retrospective and prospective analysis of the West African Ebola virus disease epidemic: robust national health systems at the foundation and an empowered WHO at the apex. The Lancet , 385 (9980), 1902-1909.
Helble, M., & Fink, A. (2020). Reviving Tourism amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Poudel, K., & Subedi, P. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on socioeconomic and mental health aspects in Nepal. International Journal of Social Psychiatry , 66 (8), 748-755.
Poudel, K., & Subedi, P. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on socioeconomic and mental health aspects in Nepal. International Journal of Social Psychiatry , 66 (8), 748-755.
Qiu, W., Rutherford, S., Mao, A., & Chu, C. (2017). The pandemic and its impacts. Health, culture, and society , 9 , 1-11.
Stuijfzand, S., Deforges, C., Sandoz, V., Sajin, C. T., Jaques, C., Elmers, J., & Horsch, A. (2020). Psychological Impact of an Epidemic/Pandemic on the Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals: A Rapid Review.
Tanne, J. H. (2020). Covid-19: Mental health and economic problems are worse in the U.S. than in other rich nations.
