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Classifying the spread of diseases

Given the state of the world, this is something that is extremely relevant and also is not well known. We’ve all heard the words “pandemic”, “epidemic”, and probably several more by now – but what do they mean? I’ll go over some of the most common terms used to classify the spread of an infectious disease, what they mean, and the requirements for each term. At the end, I’ll apply what we’ve learned to covid-19.

Epidemic:

*Yersinia pestis

The plague in Naples. Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.

Pandemic:

Endemic:

  • (of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.

  • Endemic diseases are not widespread and are expected in a certain area. Often these diseases will be described as “seasonal” as they’re likely to be seen at a certain time and area. These don’t cause a significant strain in the community and mitigation (reduces severity, duration, etc) are available to combat it when it’s encountered.

  • Tick diseases are considered endemic to many parts of the US, particularly in the southern states. These diseases are expected in warmer months and are seen more by doctors during the summer months. Mitigation methods for these diseases include preventing tick bites by using preventatives on pets, wearing bug spray (with DEET), and covering as much skin as possible when outside. If infected, blood testing can be done (on yourself and the tick that bit you – save it in a bag!), and antibiotics are readily available.

What is covid-19?

Covid-19 is still a pandemic. Many people believe the pandemic is over and companies have been echoing the sentiment. Though I wish we’d transitioned from a pandemic to an endemic (as the Influenza Pandemic did), it hasn’t.

To understand this better, we need to compare a pandemic to an endemic disease and the characteristics of both:

Though mitigation methods are available, less than 94% of Americans are vaccinated, many stopped masking and social distancing, so the methods aren’t as effective as they could be. Most Americans are in high risk areas of transmission, hospitals are strained, shortages in the supply chain have plagued (pun intended) the country, and cases are rising yet again.

We’re not out of danger yet.