Pandemic and Epidemic
2020-05-16
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1This week received the same question from two VOA fans. Here is the first question.
2"What is the difference between "pandemic" and "epidemic?" They appear a lot in recent VOA news. Thanks a lot!" - Tina, China.
3A day later, we got this email: "In recent discussion of the outbreak and spread of coronavirus, we got a little bit confused by two similar words: "pandemic" & "epidemic".
4Could you please explain their difference and usage? Thank you so much for your kind help in advance." - Chris, China.
5Dear Tina and Chris,
6Thank you for writing to us.
7That is true, we are seeing and hearing these words very often in the news.
8When the coronavirus crisis began, it was called an "epidemic" or an "outbreak."
9After it spread across the whole world, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to call it a "pandemic" on March 11.
10Here are some examples from news stories about "epidemics:"
11Italy's coronavirus epidemic began in January.
12The cholera pandemic began in India, and spread across the globe through trade routes.
13One summer, refugees leaving a yellow fever epidemic in the Caribbean Islands sailed into Philadelphia.
14I like to look at the origins of words when I am trying to understand them better so I can explain them to you.
15I found that both of these words were adjectives in English before we started using them as nouns.
16That is why they end in -ic, like the word "tragic."
17The same thing is true of the words "comic" and "academic" - they are used as both nouns and adjectives.
18Here is a sentence where "epidemic" is used as an adjective:
19The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that the flu has now reached epidemic proportions across the U.S.
20When we use it as an adjective, "epidemic" is often followed by the word "proportions."
21Together, this means the size of the group of people affected is very large.
22These days, you might hear people use "epidemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, such as:
23There was an epidemic of crime in the city.
24Health officials warn about the epidemic use of flavored tobacco.
25Merriam Webster Dictionary tells us that our word "pandemic" comes from two Greek word parts: pan- for "all" or "every" and demos for "people."
26Medical writers use this word to talk about an illness that affects almost everyone in a country or that crosses borders to affect people in many countries.
27On March 11, 2020, WHO's director-general said, "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly."
28He was reminding people that the word is used only for the most extreme and dangerous situations.
29To use these terms, the main thing you should remember is that a pandemic is much worse than an epidemic.
30A pandemic is a type of epidemic, but you cannot say that an epidemic is a type of pandemic.
31And people rarely use "pandemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, as we mentioned earlier with "epidemic."
32Here are a couple of sentences for you to listen to with "epidemic" or pandemic."
33Fill in the blank.
34With fewer people in the streets because of the _________, more wild animals are walking in cities around the world.
35If you answered "pandemic," you are right because the word describes the worldwide spread of disease which has affected people and animals.
36Now try completing this news headline:
37The ______ of Kindness: Free Toilet Paper, Car Washes and More
38You're right if you guessed "epidemic," because it is used to describe something that affects a lot of people but is not necessarily a disease.
39In fact, it's something good.
40Many groups are talking about this epidemic of kindness as they find ways to help each other during this pandemic.
41Send us your question by email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
42And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
43I'm Jill Robbins.
1This week received the same question from two VOA fans. Here is the first question. 2Question: 3"What is the difference between "pandemic" and "epidemic?" They appear a lot in recent VOA news. Thanks a lot!" - Tina, China. 4A day later, we got this email: "In recent discussion of the outbreak and spread of coronavirus, we got a little bit confused by two similar words: "pandemic" & "epidemic". Could you please explain their difference and usage? Thank you so much for your kind help in advance." - Chris, China. 5Answer: 6Dear Tina and Chris, 7Thank you for writing to us. That is true, we are seeing and hearing these words very often in the news. When the coronavirus crisis began, it was called an "epidemic" or an "outbreak." After it spread across the whole world, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to call it a "pandemic" on March 11. 8Epidemic 9Here are some examples from news stories about "epidemics:" 10Italy's coronavirus epidemic began in January. 11The cholera pandemic began in India, and spread across the globe through trade routes. 12One summer, refugees leaving a yellow fever epidemic in the Caribbean Islands sailed into Philadelphia. 13I like to look at the origins of words when I am trying to understand them better so I can explain them to you. I found that both of these words were adjectives in English before we started using them as nouns. That is why they end in -ic, like the word "tragic." The same thing is true of the words "comic" and "academic" - they are used as both nouns and adjectives. Here is a sentence where "epidemic" is used as an adjective: 14The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that the flu has now reached epidemic proportions across the U.S. 15When we use it as an adjective, "epidemic" is often followed by the word "proportions." Together, this means the size of the group of people affected is very large. 16These days, you might hear people use "epidemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, such as: 17There was an epidemic of crime in the city. 18Health officials warn about the epidemic use of flavored tobacco. 19Pandemic 20Merriam Webster Dictionary tells us that our word "pandemic" comes from two Greek word parts: pan- for "all" or "every" and demos for "people." Medical writers use this word to talk about an illness that affects almost everyone in a country or that crosses borders to affect people in many countries. 21On March 11, 2020, WHO's director-general said, "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly." He was reminding people that the word is used only for the most extreme and dangerous situations. 22Using the two words 23To use these terms, the main thing you should remember is that a pandemic is much worse than an epidemic. A pandemic is a type of epidemic, but you cannot say that an epidemic is a type of pandemic. 24And people rarely use "pandemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, as we mentioned earlier with "epidemic." 25Here are a couple of sentences for you to listen to with "epidemic" or pandemic." Fill in the blank. 26With fewer people in the streets because of the _________, more wild animals are walking in cities around the world. 27If you answered "pandemic," you are right because the word describes the worldwide spread of disease which has affected people and animals. 28Now try completing this news headline: 29The ______ of Kindness: Free Toilet Paper, Car Washes and More 30You're right if you guessed "epidemic," because it is used to describe something that affects a lot of people but is not necessarily a disease. In fact, it's something good. Many groups are talking about this epidemic of kindness as they find ways to help each other during this pandemic. 31Send us your question by email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 32And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 33I'm Jill Robbins. 34Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 35_______________________________________________________________ 36Words in This Story 37outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease 38Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.