Frequently Asked Questions

What do the terms Endemic, Epidemic, and Pandemic mean?

You are not alone if you find the terms endemic, epidemic and pandemic confusing, so let's clarify them.

Endemic refers to a disease(s) that is routinely found in a given area or country, such as malaria and dengue fever, or diabetes and heart disease in the U.S. This term comes to us from the Greek word endemia, meaning action of dwelling or staying.

Epidemic. A disease is considered an epidemic when a community disease outbreak affects many persons in a community, area or region. The disease will spread rapidly and extensively among many individuals in an area. It is a rapidly spreading contagious disease.

Pandemic means widespread, general or universal and is an epidemic over an especially wide geographic area. This word also comes from the Greek word pandemos, meaning of or belonging to all the people. To cause a pandemic, the disease must be easily transmitted from human to human.

So far the current Avian Influenza (H5N1) is not easily transmitted to humans nor from human to human and there is NO human pandemic. World health authorities are carefully monitoring H5N1 changes in the virus that could make it more contagious to humans. Flu viruses can become more virulent or less virulent with mutations.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Webster's Third New International Dictionary