Md Billal Hossen :
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been spreading drastically from one country to another since December 2019. It has become one of the most rapidly spreading virusesin the world. Now, it reaches its dangerous states in about 160 countries of the world. The whole world is panicked with this virus. From the beginning, some of the terminology was uttered regularly which is directly related to the spreading properties of COVID-19.
The most uttered word nowadays is Endemic, Pandemic and Epidemic. The majority of us don’t know what is it meant? To give you basic ideas about this terminology I am here to explain this terminology in a nutshell. All three terms are epidemiological terms which are commonly used the study of disease upon human beings. Let’s have a look at this terminology-
Endemic
The term endemic comes from a Greek word Endemos where En means “in or within” and demos means “people”. That is endemic means “in or within the people. So the constant presence and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area is called Endemic. The geographical area must small and the disease must be happening in a time frame. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan city of China which was then called endemic disease.
Pandemic
The term pandemic comes from a Greek word Pandemos where pan means “all” and demos means “in people”. That is pandemic indicate that “within all people”. Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people. Presently the coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading all over the world that’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) announces it as pandemic disease. Because this disease happening all around the world in a short period.
Epidemic
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemic refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area. As the COVID-19 cases increase rapidly so it can said that it is an epidemic disease.
These are the basic differences among endemic, pandemic and epidemic. Let’s know the COVID-19 and helps to prevent the outbreak of this disease. Save ourselves and save our nation as well. Awareness is the best policy to prevent COVID-19.
(Md Billal Hossen, MS Student, Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Biological Science, Islamic University, Bangladesh)
