Abstract
Pandemics, even though being rare events, leave profound footprints in the shaping of the world. The impacts elicit carefully-devised contingency measures to mitigate the spread of the disease and loss of lives. While containment plans are executed sequentially in phases and medical interventions take time, the pandemic leaves significant marks on various aspects, such as economic, financial, social, and environmental, in terms of impacts. Some impacts may even induce irreversible changes to the aspect(s). This chapter reviews the impact of pandemics ranging from the bubonic plague during the Roman Empire to Covid-19. Trade and travel activities has consistently been the common factor in the spread of majority of the pandemics, with subsequent hit succumbed by the economy. Fiscal shocks are comparatively more acute in nature and stock markets usually recover within 3–6 months after the pandemic trigger. While social effects are more varied and localised in different parts of the world, environmental impacts reveal the positive side of restricted human activities along with some negative side-effects towards the environment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baldwin R, di Mauro BW (2020) Economics in the time of COVID-19. CEPR Press, Washington, DC
Barnard H (2020) Coronavirus: what does it mean for people restricted by poverty? Joseph Rowntree Foundation. https://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/what-does-covid-19-mean-people-restricted-poverty
Bir B (2020) https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/single-use-items-not-safest-option-amid-covid-19/1787067. Accessed 14 May 2020
Boerner L, Severgnini B (2011) Epidemic trade. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1896603
Borse RH, Behravesh CB, Dumanovsky T, Zucker JR, Swerdlow D, Edelson P, Choe-Castillo J, Meltzer MI (2011) Closing schools in response to the 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus in New York City: economic impact on households. Clin Infect Dis 52(1):S168–S172. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciq033
Britannica Encyclopedia (2020) Black death pandemic. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death
Calma J (2020). https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/26/21194647/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-generating-tons-of-medical-waste. Accessed 14 May 2020
Cauchemez S, Ferguson N, Wachtel C, Tegnell A (2009) Closure of schools during an influenza pandemic. Lancet Infect Dis 9(8):473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(09)70176-8
Chan JFW, Yuan S, Kok K-H, To K-W, Chu H, Yang J, Xing F, Liu J (2020) A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. Lancet 395:514–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30154-9
Chen W-C, Huang A, Chuang J-H, Chiu C-C (2011) Social and economic impact of school closure resulting from pandemic influenza A/H1N1. J Infect 62(3):200–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2011.01.007
Dantas G, Siciliano B, França BB, da Silva CM, Arbilla G (2020) The impact of COVID-19 partial lockdown on the air quality of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sci Total Environ 729:139085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139085
Fair J (2020) Pump and dump: could the Covid-19 pandemic create more pollution? Ends Report. https://www.endsreport.com/article/1681933/pump-dump-covid-19-pandemic-create-pollution
Fan EX (2003) SARS: economic impacts and implications. Policy Briefs – China. ISSN 1655–5260. https://www.adb.org/publications/sars-economic-impacts-and-implications. Accessed 18 May 2020
Garrett TA (2007) Economic effects of the 1918 influenza pandemic implications for a modern-day pandemic economic effects of the 1918 influenza pandemic implications for a modern-day pandemic (Issue November). https://www.stlouisfed.org/community/other_pubs.html
Girard MP, Tam JS, Assossou OM, Kieny MP (2010) The 2009 a (H1N1) influenza virus pandemic: a review. Vaccine 28(31):48995–44902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.05.031
Harapan H, Itoh N, Yufika A, Winardi W, Keam S, Te H, Megawati D, Hayati Z, Wagner AL, Mudatsir M (2020) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a literature review. J Infect Public Health 13:667–673
Howard J (2019) Plague explained. National Geographic Society. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/the-plague/
Human Rights Watch (2020) COVID-19’s devastating impact on children. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/09/covid-19s-devastating-impact-children
India Today (2020) India’s coronavirus lockdown reveals fresh air, cleaner rivers. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-lockdown-india-fresh-air-clean-rivers-1669726-2020-04-22
Jeffery A (2020) Wasted milk, euthanized livestock: photos show how coronavirus has devastated US agriculture. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/02/coronavirus-devastates-agriculture-dumped-milk-euthanized-livestock.html
Joo H, Maskery BA, Berro AD, Rotz LD, Lee Y-K, Brown CM (2019) Economic impact of the 2015 MERS outbreak on the Republic of Korea’s tourism-related industries. Health Secur 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2018.0115
Jung H, Park M, Hong K, Hyun E (2016) The impact of an epidemic outbreak on consumer expenditures:an empirical assessment for MERS Korea. Sustainability 8(5):1–15
Lal P, Kumar A, Kumar S, Kumari S, Saikia P, Dayanandan A, Adhikari D, Khan ML (2020) The dark cloud with a silver lining: assessing the impact of the SARS COVID-19 pandemic on the global environment. Sci Total Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139297
Liu H, Manzoor A, Wang C, Zhang L, Manzoor Z (2020) The COVID-19 Outbreak and Affected Countries Stock Markets Response. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17:2800
Long H, Feng W (2020) Research report on companies’ survival and development strategy during a novel coronavirus epidemic. UIBE Press, Beijing
McConnell JR, Wilson AI, Stohl A, Arienzo MM, Chellman NJ, Eckhardt S, Thompson EM, Pollard AM, Steffensen JP (2018) Lead pollution recorded in Greenland ice indicates European emissions tracked plagues, wars, and imperial expansion during antiquity. PNAS 115(22):5726–5731. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1721818115
More AF, Spaulding NE, Bohleber P, Handley MJ, Hoffmann H, Korotkikh EV, Kurbatov AV, Loveluck CP, Sneed SB, McCormick M, Mayewski PA (2017) Next-generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: Insights from the Black Death. GeoHealth 1(4):211–219. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064
Navarro JA, Kohl KS, Cetron MS, Markel H (2016) A tale of many cities: a contemporary historical study of the implementation of school closures during the 2009 pA(H1N1) influenza pandemic. J Health Polit Policy Law 41(3):393–421. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3523958
Nippani S, Washer KM (2006) SARS: a non-event for affected countries’ stock markets? Appl Financial Econ 14:1105–1110. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960310042000310579
Novelli PC, Masarie KA, Lang PM (1998) Distributions and recent changes of carbon monoxide in the lower troposphere. J Geophys Res Atmos 103(D15):19015–19033. https://doi.org/10.1029/98JD01366
Outlook (2020) Rejuvenate your relationship. Outlook. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/rejuvenate-your-relationship/1841427
Saadat S, Rawtani D, Mustansar C (2020) Environmental perspective of COVID-19. Sci Total Environ 728:138870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138870
Saunders-Hastings PR, Krewski D (2016) Reviewing the history of pandemic influenza: understanding patterns of emergence and transmission. Pathogens 5(4):66. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens5040066
Shah I (2020) How pandemics impact financial markets. Towards Data Science Organisation. https://towardsdatascience.com/pandemics-impact-financial-markets-9a4feb6951f5
Sharma S, Zhang M, Anshika, Gao J, Zhang H, Kota SH (2020) Effect of restricted emissions during COVID-19 on air quality in India. Sci Total Environ 728:138878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138878
Slavicek LC (2008) The black death. Chelsea House Publications, New York
Slavov AK (2017) General characteristics and treatment possibilities of dairy wastewater – a review. Food Technol Biotechnol 55(1):14–18. https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.55.01.17.4520
Smith RD, Keogh-Brown MR, Barnett T, Tait J (2009) The economy-wide impact of pandemic influenza on the UK: a computable general equilibrium modelling experiment. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b4571
Snouwaert J (2020) 5,000 tons of French cheese are at risk of going to waste amid the coronavirus pandemic as demand sinks. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/5000-tons-of-french-cheese-are-at-risk-of-going-to-waste-amid-the-coronavirus-pandemic-as-demand-sinks/articleshow/75583422.cms
Stevens J (2020) My food bank used to offer human contact, but coronavirus has ended that. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/04/food-bank-coronavirus-human-contact-desperate-people-home
Tobías A, Carnerero C, Reche C, Massagué J, Via M, Minguillón MC, Alastuey A, Querol X (2020) Changes in air quality during the lockdown in Barcelona (Spain) one month into the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Sci Total Environ 726:138540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138540
TOI (2020) Lockdown improves water quality of Ganga, Yamuna. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lockdown-improves-water-quality-of-ganga-yamuna/articleshow/75456921.cms
Trading Economics (2020) Data source. Trading Economics. https://tradingeconomics.com/
UCW (2020) Child labour and the global crisis: an issues paper. https://www.unicef.org/protection/files/UCW_Summary_Financialcrisis_TCfinal.pdf
UN (2020) UN chief calls for domestic violence ‘ceasefire’ amid ‘horrifying global surge.’ United Nations - News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061052
UNDP (2015) Recovering from the Ebola crisis
UNESCO (2020) Education: From disruption to recovery. UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse
WHO (2019a) Lead poisoning and health. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health#:~:text=The Institute for Health Metrics,- and middle-income countries
WHO (2019b) Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-(mers-cov)
WHO (2020a) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
WHO (2020b) Ebola virus disease. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease
WHO (2020c) International Travel and Health (SARS). World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/ith/diseases/sars/en/
World Health Organisation (2020) Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19): situation report, 81, WHO
Zambrano-Monserrate MA, Ruano MA (2019) Does environmental noise affect housing rental prices in developing countries? Evidence from Ecuador. Land Use Policy 87:104059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104059
Zambrano-Monserrate MA, Ruano MA, Sanchez-Alcalde L (2020) Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment. Sci Total Environ 728:138813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138813
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ganguly, S., Gupta, A., Arora, S., Arora, N. (2020). Impact of Pandemics. In: Goyal, M.K., Gupta, A.K. (eds) Integrated Risk of Pandemic: Covid-19 Impacts, Resilience and Recommendations. Disaster Resilience and Green Growth. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7679-9_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7679-9_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-7678-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-7679-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)