A PANDEMIC IS THE GLOBAL OUTBREAK OF A DISEASE. THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES IN HISTORY, THE MOST RECENT BEING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, DECLARED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ON MARCH 12, 2020. PANDEMICS ARE GENERALLY CLASSIFIED AS EPIDEMICS FIRST, WHICH IS THE RAPID SPREAD OF A DISEASE ACROSS A PARTICULAR REGION OR REGIONS. THE ZIKA VIRUS OUTBREAK THAT BEGAN IN BRAZIL IN 2014 AND MADE ITS WAY ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICA WAS AN EPIDEMIC, AS WAS THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA IN 2014-2016. COVID-19 BEGAN AS AN EPIDEMIC IN CHINA, BEFORE MAKING ITS WAY AROUND THE WORLD IN A MATTER OF MONTHS AND BECOMING A PANDEMIC.