Introduction:

Pandemics and epidemics are global events in human society, which express great catastrophe and desolation, accompanied by high lethality and marked repercussions on health services. They have decimated societies, similar to wars, but they contribute to the emergence of advances in the sciences.

Objective:

To describe the characteristics and peculiarities of pandemics and epidemics that occurred at different times in history, in the context of public health and its great social impact.

Methods:

The SciELO, PubMed, Google Scholar databases, WHO and PAHO websites and other sources and information resources available on the Internet were used, which were accessed through the Google web browser. In the elaboration of the search strategy, the controlled vocabulary of the Descriptors in Health Sciences was used. The terms used were: pandemic, epidemic, rinderpest, plague, vaccine. 40 scientific articles and documents were retrieved and selected given their relevance for the investigation.

Conclusions:

Pandemics and epidemics require health promotion measures that stimulate adequate environmental sanitation, the availability of drinking water, correct hand washing, as well as preventing the spread of contagion and reducing the risks implied by climate change, lack of vector control and poverty among others, to contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality. The lack of preventive strategies forces the development of specialized centers to produce vaccines that guarantee the specific protection of susceptible populations.

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