Disaster

Virus Outbreak

A virus outbreak refers to the sudden increase in the number of cases of a particular viral disease in a specific geographic area, community, or population. It indicates a higher-than-normal incidence of the disease and may be localized or spread over a larger region.

Illustrated global map showing the rapid spread of a viral outbreak with alert indicators
Illustration from the Climate Cooldown board game.

In the game

In the game Climate Cooldown, "Virus Outbreak" is a Disaster card which temporarily makes it more difficult to trade and initiate diplomatic relations between regions.

Prospective degrees

Public healthEpidemiology

Careers

EpidemiologistPublic health crisis response coordinator

For the classroom

Discussion prompts by grade level

  • What is a virus outbreak and how does it spread?
  • Can you think of any ways to prevent the spread of viruses?

Connects to

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals