In epidemiology, an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people) is a classification of a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given menistral period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected," based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during a specified period of time is called the "incidence rate"). Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the Health and Illness of populations and serves as the foundation and Logic of interventions made in the Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases (An epizootic is the same thing but for an animal population. In Epizoology, an epizootic (from Greek epi- upon + zoion animal is a Disease that appears as new cases in a given animal population ) The disease may or may not be contagious.
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Classification
Defining an epidemic can be subjective, depending in part on what is "expected". An epidemic may be restricted to one locale (an outbreak), more general (an "epidemic") or even global (pandemic). A pandemic (from Greek παν pan all + δήμος demos people is an Epidemic of Infectious disease that spreads through Because it is based on what is "expected" or thought normal, a few cases of a very rare disease like rabies may be classified as an "epidemic," while many cases of a common disease (like the common cold) would not.
Endemic diseases
Common diseases that occur at a constant but relatively high rate in the population are said to be "endemic. In Epidemiology, an Infection is said to be endemic (from Greek en- in or within + demos people in a Population when " An example of an endemic disease is malaria in some parts of Africa (for example, Liberia) in which a large portion of the population is expected to get malaria at some point in their lifetimes. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire
Non-infectious disease usage
The term "epidemic" is often used in a sense to refer to widespread and growing societal problems, for example, in discussions of obesity, mental illness or drug addiction. A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions Obesity is a condition in which excess Body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected Mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking It can also be used metaphorically to relate a type of problem like those mentioned above.
Notable epidemics through history
Famous examples of epidemics include the bubonic plague epidemic of Medieval Europe known as the Black Death, and the Great Influenza Pandemic which coincided with the end of World War I. Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia The 1918 flu pandemic (commonly referred to as the Spanish flu) was an Influenza Pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
Factors stimulating new epidemics
Factors that have been described by Mark Woolhouse and Sonya Gowtage-Sequeria to stimulate the rise of new epidemics [1] include:
- Alterations in agricultural practices and land use
- Changes in society and human demographics
- Poor population health (e. Overpopulation refers to a condition where an Organism 's numbers exceed the Carrying capacity of its Habitat. g. malnutrition, HIV, . . . )
- Hospitals and medical procedures
- Evolution of the pathogen (e. g. increased virulence, drug resistance,)
- Contamination of water supplies and food sources
- International travel
- Failure of public health programs
- International trade
- Climate change
Several other factors have also been mentioned in different reports, such as the report by professor Andy Dobson [2] and the report by professor Akilesh Mishra [3]. Virulence (also called pestiferousness) refers to the degree of Pathogenicity of a Microbe, or in other words the relative ability of a Microbe Drug resistance is the reduction in effectiveness of a drug in curing a disease or improving a patient's symptoms Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences These include :
- Reduced levels of biodiversity (e. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. g. through environmental destruction)
- Bad urban planning
Pre-emptive measures
To protect us against the emergence of new epidemics, several preemptive measures have been proposed by professor Nina Marano [4], and Andy Dobson. These include:
- To eat less food containing animal protein (eg meat, milk, milk-derivates)
- To eat local food
- To eat crops according to the season
- To make agriculture more efficient
- To avoid destruction of the rainforest
- To be prepared to pay a higher price for meat
In addition, certain other measures are known to reduce the beneficial factors found above. Proteins are broken down in the Stomach during Digestion by Enzymes known as Proteases into smaller Polypeptides to provide In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer Local food (also regional food or food patriotism) or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based self-reliant Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer As such, the measures would also decrease the possible emergence of new epidemics. These measures are:
- Population control measures
- Improving the urban planning
Renewed concern
In August 2007, the World Health Organization reported an unprecedented rate of propagation of infectious diseases. Population control is the practice of limiting population increase usually by reducing the Birth rate. An infectious disease is a clinically evident Disease resulting from the presence of Pathogenic microbial agents including Pathogenic viruses Pathogenic [5]
References
- ^ "Emerging Infectious Diseases" by Mark E.J. Woolhouse and Sonya Gowtage-Sequeria
- ^ Andy Dobson blaming reduced levels of biodiversity as a epidemic-triggering factor
- ^ Akilesh Mishra blaming certain disease outbreaks on urban planning
- ^ professor Nina Marano proposing measures against epidemics
- ^ WHO warns of global epidemic risk. BBC News (23 August 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-05. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France.
See also
External links
- Video Discussion of the Prostate Cancer Epidemic
- Monash Virtual Laboratory - Simulations of epidemic spread across a landscape
Dictionary
epidemic
-noun
- Widespread disease that affects many individuals in a population.
- (Epidemiology) An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period.
-adjective
- Like or having to do with an epidemic; widespread
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