What is an epidemic?

Answer 1

Medical use of the word:

When there is an outbreak of infectious disease which affects a large number of people and/or is spread to many different places, it is called in medicine an epidemic of that disease. Disease spreading among a smaller number of people in a single community or limited location is called an outbreak instead of epidemic. If the number of people and places where the disease has spread is international and/or over a large geographical area (e.g., cross-continental or world-wide) it is called a pandemic ('pan-' means all), as it was with the H1N1/09 pandemic in 2009 and the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918.

To break it down, the word Epidemic [epi- (on or in), -demic (people )] means: Something that is spread on or in the people. A pandemic [pan- (All), -demic (people)] is an epidemic that becomes so widespread that it involves multiple continents making it a global problem.

Other definitions for epidemic include additional qualifying details such as "an increase or surge in victims of an isolated virus or other biological infectious organism or disease within a widespread area or group all at the same time." However, as indicated above, an epidemic is not restricted to a local community (that is called an Outbreak or Regional Outbreak), but an epidemic is more widespread in geographical area or spread in a specifically large proportion of a demographic group of the population. It is bigger than an outbreak, but a smaller area compared to a pandemic. Pandemics are world-wide or affect entire global regions, hemispheres, multiple countries over a section of the world or multiple continents.

A quantifying definition that is often given in classrooms, such as in a graduate course in Public Health, is: "An epidemic exists when the number of cases at any one time exceeds 200 per 100,000 population." The rapidity of onset only means that the 200 mark will be reached sooner rather than later.

Non-medical use of the word:

Another meaning of the word epidemic that is unrelated to the medical usage is to use the word to describe something as extensive or widespread in other topics of conversation. For example, to describe an epidemic in stock sell out, real estate foreclosures, or job losses.
In general medical terms, it is an "outbreak" of a biological/viral nature where an increase or surge in victims of a virus or other biological infectious organism or disease is isolated among a widespread area or group at the same time. An epidemic is not restricted to a local community (that is called an Outbreak or Regional Outbreak), but an epidemic is much more widespread in geographical area or in a specifically large proportion of a demographic group of the population. It is bigger than an outbreak, but a smaller area compared to a pandemic. Pandemics are world-wide or affect entire global regions, hemispheres, multiple countries over a section of the world or multiple continents.

Another meaning of the word epidemic that is unrelated to the medical usage is to use the word to describe something as extensive or widespread in other topics of conversation. For example, to describe an epidemic in stock sell out, real estate foreclosures, or job losses.

To break it down, the word Epidemic [epi- (on or in), -demic (people )] means: Something that is spread on or in the people. A pandemic [pan- (All), -demic (people)] is an epidemic that becomes so widespread that it involves multiple continents making it a global problem.

A definition that is often given in classrooms, such as in a graduate course in Public Health, that quantifies the definition is: "An epidemic exists when the number of cases at any one time exceeds 200 per 100,000 population." The rapidity of onset only means that the 200 mark will be reached sooner rather than later.

Answer 2

The meaning of epidemic diseases are those that are spread quickly and in large numbers, either nationwide and/or worldwide.
A disease that cases an epidemic is one that spreads from person to person very efficiently while being extremely lethal.

Some examples are Cholera, Smallpox, The Spanish Flu (A strain of Influenza), Typhus, and Ebola.

Answer 3

an epidimic is a disease that killed too much people (for example) h1n1 pendemic is a epidimic because it killed people in Mexico for more information about epidimics search on the Google or on the yahoo.

Answer 4

An alternate term is outbreak. "There is an outbreak of the flu across the Midwest," for example. However, epidemic is the most used term for this. An epidemic that grows to a world-wide scope, is called a pandemic.

Answer 5

It is a certain disease that spread all over population across the borders , with not distinct area it is settles in and it is considered contagious and fatal , it is closely related to poverty and ignorance , earthquakes, disasters.

Answer 6

An epidemic occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is "expected," based on recent experience.