Endemic, epidemic, pandemic: Back to main immune system page
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Endemic: a disease that exists permanently in a
particular region or population. Malaria is a constant worry in parts of |
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Epidemic: An outbreak of disease that attacks many peoples at about the same time and may spread through one or several communities. |
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Pandemic: When an epidemic spreads throughout the world. |
Infectious
diseases:
Diseases that you can catch. They are communicable. Example: colds, influenza,
measles, mumps, tuberculosis, pneumonia, smallpox... ** Beware of the super-
strains of TB and pneumonia!
Noninfectious
diseases: Asthma, Cancer, and Arthritis, etc.
Ways diseases are spread:
People: Droplet infection
(coughing, sneezing), direct contact (kissing), indirect contact.
Animals: Fleas and rats spread the
bubonic plague in 1348. 1/3
Nonliving
sources:
Disease can be transmitted in contaminated food and water. For instance, salmonella
can be found in meat. Hazardous chemicals can cause cancers.
Dr. Edward Jenner
in 1796 used cowpox to vaccinate against smallpox. Cowpox was used to vaccinate
against Smallpox. He got the idea by observing that milkmaids often suffered
from cowpox but rarely suffered from smallpox. It occurred to him that cowpox
prevented milkmaids from catching smallpox.
Latin word: vacca =
cow
Vaccinia = cow pox