Phenomenon or Process
epidemic
ep·i·dem·ic [ ep-i-dem-ik ]
Subclass of:
Disease Outbreaks
Etymology:
Greek epidemos; from epi = upon + demos = the people
Used both of diseases and of a visitation by the king and his court.
Used both of diseases and of a visitation by the king and his court.
Definitions related to epidemic:
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The occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy. NOTE: The community or region and the period in which the cases occur are specified precisely. The number of cases indicating the presence of an epidemic varies according to the agent, size, and type of population exposed; previous experience or lack of exposure to the disease; and time and place of occurrence.CDISC TerminologyClinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), 2021
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Sudden outbreaks of a disease in a country or region not previously recognized in that area, or a rapid increase in the number of new cases of a previous existing endemic disease. Epidemics can also refer to outbreaks of disease in animal or plant populations.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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(epidemic disorder) The occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time. (CDC)NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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