Epidemic

From ArticleWorld

Epidemics are diseases prevalent among a community at a given time that spread faster than could be reasonable. The definition of what is and is not an epidemic is quite subjective as it rests on whether the rate the disease spreads is higher than usual or what could be expected. As this varies from one scientist to another, whether a disease is an epidemic or not is debatable.

The term usually refers to infectious diseases but can also refer to anything affecting a lot of people simultaneously and can be applied to anything from obesity to divorce.

Terminology

Epidemics may occur in a local area only which is termed an outbreak, may spread over a wider area, perhaps nationally when it is called an epidemic, or may become a global problem in which case it is a pandemic. Endemic refers to those diseases that occur at a constant, relatively high rate among specific peoples or in a specific area such as malaria.

Epidemics can be classified into categories depending on the origin of the disease and the way it is spread. For example, epidemics may be spread by an organism which does not cause the disease itself but spreads it by moving between one host to another, or they may be spread via a common source such as contaminated water.