This document discusses causes and prevention of pandemics. It defines a pandemic as a disease that spreads rapidly to many people over a wide geographic area. Factors like population growth, environmental degradation, and lack of clean water and sanitation have increased risks of pandemics. Historically, many deaths have resulted from pandemics of water-borne diseases like cholera, influenza, and diseases transmitted through air like tuberculosis. Poor and marginalized communities facing poverty, malnutrition, and lack of healthcare are most vulnerable. The document emphasizes the need for community preparedness, emergency response, and long-term management to control pandemics.