Akademik

Epidemic
More than the expected number of cases of disease occurring in a community or region during a given period of time. A sudden severe outbreak within a region or a group as, for example, AIDS in Africa or AIDS in intravenous drug users. By contrast: {{}}An endemic is present in a community at all times but in low frequency. An endemic is continuously present, as in the case of malaria in some areas of the world or as with illicit drugs in some neighborhoods. A pandemic occurs when an epidemic becomes very widespread and affects a whole region, a continent, or the entire world. The word "epidemic" comes from the Greek "epi-", "upon" + "demos", "people or population" = "epidemos" = "upon the population." An epidemic is visited upon the people. By contrast, "en-" means "in." An endemic is in the people. And "pan-" means "all." A pandemic affects all the people.
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The occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy; the word also is used to describe outbreaks of disease in animals or plants. Cf.:endemic, sporadic. [epi- + G. demos, the people]
- behavioral e. an e. originating in behavioral patterns (in contrast to invading microorganisms); examples include medieval dancing mania, episodes of crowd panic.
- point e. an e. where a pronounced clustering of cases of disease occurs within a very short period of time (within a few days or even hours) due to exposure of persons or animals to a common source of infection such as food or water.

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ep·i·dem·ic .ep-ə-'dem-ik also ep·i·dem·i·cal -i-kəl adj
1) affecting or tending to affect an atypically large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time <typhoid was \epidemic> compare ENDEMIC, SPORADIC
2) of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic <coronary disease...has hit \epidemic proportions (Herbert Ratner)>
ep·i·dem·i·cal·ly -i-k(ə-)lē adv
epidemic n
1) an outbreak of epidemic disease
2) a natural population (as of insects) suddenly and greatly enlarged

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n.
a sudden outbreak of infectious disease that spreads rapidly through the population, affecting a large proportion of people. The commonest epidemics today are of influenza. Compare endemic, pandemic.
• epidemic adj.

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ep·i·dem·ic (ep″ĭ-demґik) [Gr. epidēmios prevalent] occurring suddenly in numbers clearly in excess of normal expectancy; said especially of infectious diseases but applied also to any disease, injury, or other health-related event occurring in such outbreaks. Cf. endemic and sporadic.

Medical dictionary. 2011.