Different Words Which We Heard in This COVID - 19 Period...

 Hello Everyone, Myself Atraiu Gupta. This is my first post on this blog.

Today I am going to talk about some words which we happened to hear more in this COVID – 19 period…..

(Guess what the words are without looking below…. You have ten seconds.)

If you recall the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s or the Spanish Flu in 1918 or facing COVID-19 right now, then you’ve definitely must have heard the words epidemic and pandemic and endemic. With every biological outbreak, we encounter these words being used more and more frequently — and often, inaccurately.

Why is it so easy for people to confuse these words? Well, because these three words contain –demic and are used for disease outbreaks, but they’re not exactly the same. These similarities lead many people to use the words interchangeably or incorrectly altogether. The key difference, however, is about scale. So, let’s explore them.

 What is an Epidemic?

An epidemic disease is one “affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent.” The World Health Organization (WHO) further specifies epidemic as occurring at the level of a region or community. So it means that it may occur at only one state or nation.

Epidemic is commonly used all on its own as a noun, meaning “a temporary prevalence of a disease.”

 For example: The city was able to stop the flu epidemic before it spread across the state.

The -demic part of epidemic (and pandemic) comes from the Greek dêmos, meaning “people of a district.” This root also ultimately gives English the word democracy.. More on the prefix epi– later.

What is a Pandemic?

Compared to an epidemic disease, a pandemic disease is an epidemic that has spread over a large area, that is, it’s “prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world.”

Pandemic is also used as a noun, meaning “a pandemic disease.” The WHO more specifically defines a pandemic as “a worldwide spread of a new disease.” On March 11, the WHO officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic due to the global spread and severity of the disease.

While pandemic can be used for a disease that has spread across an entire country or other large landmass, the word is generally reserved for diseases that have spread across continents or the entire world.

For instance: After documenting cases in all continents except Antarctica, scientists declared the COVID - 19 a pandemic.

Pandemic also entered English, through Latin, in the 1600s. Like epidemic, pandemic ultimately derives from the Greek word ‘pándēmos’, which means “common or public.” Also, like epidemic, pandemic was originally used of diseases when it came into English.

 What is an Endemic?

Endemic is an adjective that means natural to, native to, confined to, or widespread within a place or population of people.

Endemic is perhaps most commonly used to describe a disease that is prevalent in or restricted to a particular location, region, or population.

 For example, malaria is said to be endemic to tropical regions.

The first records of endemic in English come from the mid-1600s. It comes from the Greek éndēm(os). The prefix en- means “in or within” and the Greek root dēmos means “people.” So the basic meaning of endemic is “within a certain people” (or “within a certain area”).

 How to use Epidemic vs. Pandemic vs, Endemic?

As mentioned earlier, it’s unsurprisingly easy to confuse these two words. For one, they both feature -demic, which can make it difficult to suss out which word should be used in which situation.

But, here’s a handy thumb rule for using the prefixes of these words: epi- and pan- and en-. The prefix epi- is Greek and variously means “on, upon, near, at,” while pan-, also a Greek prefix, means “all.” While en- means “in”.

Knowing this, think of an epidemic as the start of something—whether a disease or a trend—spreading rapidly within a community or region, whereas a pandemic is what an epidemic becomes once it reaches a far wider swath of people, especially across continents or the entire world.

If something is spreading like wildfire, it’s an epidemic. If something has already spread like wildfire and is currently massive in its reach and impact, it’s a pandemic.

And if the wildfire is raging in only a forest it is like an endemic.

Following are some examples -

 

·         Although it isn’t exactly known where the disease first originated, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic is estimated to have affected one-third of people across the entire globe.

·         Polio is endemic in a few countries where its spread has not been contained.

·         In 1872, one quarter of the horses in the United States died of a widespread virus epidemic.

 

 Below is the difference between these words in a short simple line.

 

ENDEMIC – It’s a disease or any other thing that is confined to one place.

EPIDEMIC – It is a disease which has have spread over a particular place or nation though it                                                           may further spread.

PANDEMIC – If an epidemic spreads out in more than one continent or worldwide its known as pandemic.

 

Now we also hear the word COVID – 19 Outbreak. So, what’s the difference between epidemic, pandemic, and outbreak?

 What is the difference between an epidemic, pandemic, and an outbreak?

Not only are people widely calling COVID-19 both an epidemic and pandemic, but they are also calling it an outbreak. Now what’s an outbreak?

An outbreak is a “sudden breaking out or occurrence” or “eruption.” When referring to an infectious disease, an outbreak is specifically a sudden rise in cases, especially when it is only or so far affecting a relatively localized area.

That makes a disease outbreak roughly synonymous with an epidemic. In everyday speech and writing, people—as they are indeed doing for the novel coronavirus—may more generally refer to the major spread of an infectious disease as an outbreak.

In official, medical, and scientific communication, however, it’s important not to confuse a local epidemic (such as a disease affecting just a city) with a pandemic, because that implies the outbreak spread all over the world.

While talking about outbreak we should also talk about the words Epicentre/Epicenter and Hotspot.

 What is an Epicentre and A Hotspot?

An epicentre is a “focal point, or main region” as of activity. If a country or region is called the epicentre of a pandemic disease, that means more or an accelerating number of cases are being confirmed there than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes an epicentre is called a hotspot.

A particular site, such as a nursing home or hospital, where there is a sudden spate of new cases is also sometimes called a hotspot or even hot zone.

One more word is there which we usually don't hear but it can occur. Its syndemic. 

 What is a Syndemic?

A syndemic is the combination of two or more epidemics or diseases occurring in a place at the same time. The coronavirus and the flu occurring at the same time can be described as a syndemic. To prevent a syndemic from occurring, each disease must be controlled.

Hope you got the meaning and difference of these words.

Stay tuned.... Stay Healthy.... Stay Safe....

                                                                         Thank You🙏

                                                                                                                                                                 

–Atraiu Gupta–