[Social impact of epidemic or pandemic infectious contagion. The repercussion on the sanitary control of the health area].

The social impact originated from the threat or presence of an infectious outbreak of epidemic and pandemic character is analyzed, using several diseases of big epidemiological relevance, such as AIDS, rabies, listeriosis, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, avian and human type A influenza of porcine origin. Once that the updated historical scheme has been established, the social reaction and the consequences of the fear and anxiety attitudes are studied, as well as the consequences that these states of mind may have, due to diverse reasons, on the health management of an epidemic or pandemic situation.