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What's the difference between a Pandemic and an Epidemic?

Differentiate between Epidemic from a Pandemic?


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Epidemic and pandemic are two words that are often used interchangeably and create confusion among readers who have no idea what these two words literally mean. Technically, these two words mean high cases or widespread of diseases and illnesses in an area. The difference is from how large an area is covered or how many people are affected.

Area
Epidemic is the term that should be used when referring to a spread of infection in a localized area. This means that a large number of people are getting the same illness or infection in one locality or there is a sudden increase of a common illness. Pandemic on the other hand is the widespread of illness or infection that transfers from one locality to another, covering very large areas or regions. Sometimes, a pandemic can go as wide as global pandemic. Oftentimes, a pandemic happens very fast that is why it is able to have a widespread of diseases.

Number of People Affected
An epidemic often has fewer people that are affected in comparison to pandemic. There are also times wherein epidemic is the proper term to use even when an infection exits and spreads outside the locality. The only difference is that even though geographically speaking, it covers a large area, few people from one locality and a low number from other localities have the illness, and epidemic is the right term to use. In contrasts to this, pandemic is the right term to use if there are a very high percentage of people affected with an illness in one area.

Oftentimes, the word pandemic is only used to refer a geographical widespread of an illness, pandemic can also be used to determine a very high concentration of illness in one area. Epidemic is also a term that is not limited to illness alone. Sometimes, this term can be used to determine a spread of a new habit or any social issues such as drug use and prostitution.
Feb 24th, 2013 at 3:11 AM
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