Res21 16010 final - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

18. OTHER H AZARDS OF INTEREST The hazards of concern assessed in Chapters 8 through 17 and rated and ranked in Chapter 19 are those that present significant risks in the planning area. Additional hazards, both natural and human -caused, were identified by the Steering Committee as having some potential to impact the planning area, but at a much lower risk level than the hazards of concern. These other hazards are identified as hazards of interest. The sections below provide short profiles of each hazard of interest, including qualitative discussion of their potential to impact San Mateo County. No formal risk assessment of these hazards was performed, and no mitigation initiatives have been developed to address them. However, all planning partners for this plan should be aware of these hazards and should take steps to reduce the risks they present whenever it is practical to do so. 18.1 PUBLIC HEALTH AND PANDEMIC 18.1.1 Overview According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic involves the worldwide spread of a new disease. While an epidemic remains limited to one city, region, or country, a pandemic extends beyond national borders and can become a worldwide occurrence. Authorities consider a disease to be an epidemic when the number of people with the infection is higher than the forecast number within a specific region. If an infection becomes widespread in several countries at the same time, it may turn into a pandemic. A new virus strain or subtype that easily transmits between humans can cause a pandemic. Bacteria that become resistant to antibiotic treatment may also be behind the rapid spread. Pandemics occur when new diseases develop the ability to spread rapidly. Humans may have little or no immunity against a new virus. Often, a new virus cannot spread between animals and people, but if it mutates it may start to spread easily, and a pandemic may result. Seasonal flu epidemics generally occur because of a viral subtype that is already circulating among people. Novel subtypes, on the other hand, generally cause pandemics. These subtypes will not previously have circulated among humans. A pandemic affects a higher number of people and can be more deadly than an epidemic. It can also lead to social disruption, economic loss, and general hardship on a wider scale (Medical News Today, 2020). The severity of disease outbreaks and pandemics vary. Respiratory diseases show strong seasonal patterns varying substantially from summer to winter. Transmission rates depend on local weather and environment, and case fatality rates (CFRs) depend on local conditions such as care system quality and capacity, and the general health and immunity of the local population. 18-1