what is the difference between a pandemic and epidemic?

Question

what is the difference between a pandemic and epidemic?

Answer 1

A pandemic, or global epidemic, is an outbreak of an infectious disease that affects people over an extensive geographical area (from Greek pan all + demos people).



an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given 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")

Answer 2

The difference is essentially semantic. An epidemic is an incidence of an illness (defined as new cases diagnosed per unit time in an observed region) greater than expected from prior data in similar populations. A pandemic is an epidemic that affects a large geographical area.

Answer 3

While they are almost identical, an epidemic refers to a smaller area. Therefore, a situation of flu that affects only a portion of a state (but is wide spread there) might be called an epidemic. AIDS would be considered a pandemic.

Answer 4

"Pandemic-occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population" www.m-w.com

"Epidemic-affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time" www.m-w.com