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The Plague of Athens (c. 1652 –1654) by Michiel Sweerts, illustrating the devastating epidemic that struck Athens in 430 BC, as described by the historian Thucydides. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines epidemic broadly: "Epidemic refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in ...
An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time; in meningococcal infections, an attack rate in excess of 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks is considered an epidemic. [1]
The number of cases varies according to the disease-causing agent, and the size and type of previous and existing exposure to the agent. Outbreaks include many epidemics, which term is normally only for infectious diseases, as well as diseases with an environmental origin, such as a water or foodborne disease. They may affect a region in a ...
A medical dictionary definition of pandemic is "an epidemic occurring on a scale that crosses international boundaries, usually affecting people on a worldwide scale". [14] A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious.
The concept of waves in epidemics has implications especially for communicable diseases. A working definition for the term "epidemic wave" is based on two key features: 1) it comprises periods of upward or downward trends, and 2) these increases or decreases must be substantial and sustained over a period of time, in order to distinguish them ...
Obesity has long been classified as a global epidemic — and new data published in The Lancet journal spotlights how much worse it could get. A team of researchers found that in 2021, one billion ...
Infectious diseases: The death rate from infectious diseases—especially tuberculosis, influenza and pneumonia—fell by 90% from 1900 to 1950. By the late 1940s, Penicillin was the major drug in use. [121] Chronic diseases: As infectious disease mortality declined, cardiovascular disease and cancer became leading causes of death. [122]
An endemic disease always has a steady, predictable number of people getting sick, but that number can be high (hyperendemic) or low (hypoendemic), and the disease can be severe or mild. [3] [4] Also, a disease that is usually endemic can become epidemic. [3] For example, chickenpox is endemic in the United Kingdom, but malaria is not.