Education for rural hicks

Washington DC

Description

Outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic are NOT synonyms. They have very different meanings in terms of scale similar to pond, lake, and ocean. All are bodies of water of very different scales. "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. Outbreak carries the same definition of epidemic, but is often used for a more limited geographic area. Cluster refers to an aggregation of cases grouped in place and time that are suspected to be greater than the number expected, even though the expected number may not be known. Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people." https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section11.html Outbreaks occur fairly often. https://sundial.csun.edu/156361/news/a-timeline-of-outbreaks-from-2000-to-present/ There are generally multiple outbreak level diseases going on somewhere at any given moment. http://www.emro.who.int/pandemic-epidemic-diseases/outbreaks/index.html Epidemics are less common. Pandemics less common still. So to the uneducated hick in rural Idiotville who doesn't know the difference between an outbreak, an epidemic, and a pandemic, you probably think you're really on to something. Wrong again, Gomer. All the smart people in the big cities know the difference. Educate yourself.