Question

The major epidemic diseases in the past were fevers of various sorts, plague, smallpox and cholera. But the single largest epidemic was the influenza epidemic of 1918–19, which killed about 5% of the total population of India at that time.

Differentiate between epidemic and pandemic.

Answer 1

Epidemic: An epidemic refers to the sudden increase in the spread of a disease within a particular area or community, affecting more people than normally expected and remaining limited to a specific region.

Example: The influenza epidemic of 1918–19 in India, which was confined to the country.

Pandemic: A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads over a very large area, crossing national and continental boundaries, and affects a large share of the world’s population.

Example: The COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted countries across the globe.