Difference Between Pandemic and epidemic

Pandemic and epidemic are words that are used to refer to the spread of diseases, however, it is important to be clear that they are different concepts that cannot be interchanged.  Difference Between Pandemic and epidemic

If you don’t know what the difference is between them, keep reading; because we will explain it to you below.

EPIDEMIC  Difference Between Pandemic and epidemic

An epidemic occurs when the incidence rate (new cases among the human population over a certain period of time) of a certain disease exceeds the expectations that have been formed based on previous experience.

It is an epidemic when the presence of a certain disease is limited to a certain region. The word comes from the Greek  epi,  which means about and  demos, which means people.

It is important to note that although an epidemic may occur in a small location, such as a city or town; The truth is that the number of people affected can be very large, especially when compared to what was expected. For example, imagine that the incidence rate of an infectious disease is 15%; but in a period of time it reaches 40%. In such a case it would be an epidemic.

PANDEMIC

On the other hand, when what happens in the previous example gets out of control and instead of 40% it is 75% of the population that is affected; then we say that it is a pandemic.

The word pandemic comes from the Greek  pan,  which means “everything” and  demos,  which means “people.” A pandemic is nothing more than an epidemic that spreads across a large region (it can be a continent) or throughout the world.

Key differences 

• An epidemic encompasses a smaller region than a pandemic.
• When it comes to a pandemic, the number of people affected by a disease is greater than in the case of an epidemic.