The Language of an International Health Crisis
2020-05-17
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1What is the difference between pandemic and epidemic?
2Do infectious and contagious mean the same thing?
3How exactly does contact tracing work?
4Even native English speakers may not fully know the answers to these questions.
5As English learners, you have probably noticed some words and phrases you do not understand when reading reports about the new coronavirus.
6Today, we look at some of the most common COVID-19 terms.
7We can start with epidemic versus pandemic.
8An "epidemic" is when a disease spreads through a population and affects many individuals at the same time.
9An epidemic may affect a community, province or even a whole country.
10A "pandemic" is a kind of epidemic -- one that spreads to a much larger area or even worldwide.
11Like many medical-related terms in English, the word comes from Greek. Pan- means "all or every."
12The second part of the word, "-demic," comes from the Greek word demos, meaning "people."
13On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus crisis a "pandemic."
14At a news conference that day, the WHO's director-general said, "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly."
15He was reminding people that the word is used only for the most extreme and dangerous situations.
16The virus is now present in 213 countries and territories worldwide.
17COVID-19 is infectious and contagious. Infectious -- the adjective form of infection -- describes diseases that are spread through the environment.
18Malaria, for example, is an infectious disease.
19Humans contract the disease through mosquito bites.
20Malaria, however, is not contagious -- or able to be passed from one person to another.
21You already know that COVID-19 is easily passed person to person.
22Common colds and the seasonal flu are also contagious and infectious diseases.
23The new coronavirus has spread quickly partly because those infected can be contagious before they even know they are sick.
24In other words, those people are asymptomatic.
25This word has a lot going on. Let's break it down.
26A "symptom" is a change in the body that shows a disease is present.
27For example, we wrote on March 30: "Most people who get COVID-19 experience mild or moderate symptoms, like coughing and high body temperature, or fever."
28"Symptomatic" is the adjective form of symptom. It means "showing that a disease is present."
29So, we could say: "A cough and fever are symptomatic of the new coronavirus."
30The prefix "a-" means "without."
31So, what happens when we add the letter "a" to "symptomatic?" The word ends up meaning "having or showing no signs of disease."
32Experts know that asymptomatic people can spread the disease.
33This is partly why officials are urging people to stay at home as much as possible.
34In some cases, whole countries were put in lockdown -- a state of restricted movement put in place as a security measure.
35Most people around the world are social distancing.
36This term is new to everyday English.
37The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, uses it to describe the act of avoiding gatherings and staying about two meters away from other people.
38The World Health Organization is now using the term "physical distancing" instead of social distancing.
39The term is a little more exact because people can socialize without being near one another.
40Social distancing is less extreme than quarantine and isolation.
41Isolation separates sick people who have a contagious disease from people who are not sick.
42Quarantine restricts the movement of people who were around a contagious person to see if they get sick.
43In the case of COVID-19, the recommended quarantine period is two weeks, or 14 days.
44The word was first used in the 1400s in Europe and meant "a period of about 40 days."
45Quarantine can be a noun and a verb. Here it is as a noun: "Early in the coronavirus spread, Vietnam restricted travel into the country and put tens of thousands of people into quarantine."
46And here it is as a verb: "Dr. Fauci quarantined himself after two people who work at the White House were found to have the new coronavirus."
47Many experts say in order for it to be safe for places to reopen, widespread testing and contact tracing need to be in place.
48Contact tracing requires investigative action.
49Tracers work with confirmed COVID-19 patients to learn whom they have been close to.
50The tracers then inform those people that they may have been infected.
51The tracers also provide advice on what actions to take.
52In some places, such as South Korea and Singapore, contact tracing started early in the pandemic.
53Social distancing, isolation and quarantining are all done to help "flatten the curve."
54This phrase, now extremely common in the age of COVID-19, means to slow the spread of disease.
55The same number of people might get sick, but infections happen over a longer period.
56This eases the pressure on emergency and health care resources.
57Hospitals in most areas have a limited number of beds and breathing machines, called ventilators.
58These machines are extremely important for treating patients with more severe cases of COVID-19.
59The health care industry is also limited in respirators.
60These are special masks, or nose and mouth covers.
61Medical workers need respirators to protect themselves from contagious patients.
62Here is how Ray Chambers, a WHO official, recently used the phrase on Twitter: "More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives."
63Chambers also used the term "physical distancing."
64This is not as commonly used as social distancing.
65The two phrases mean the same thing.
66As Dr. Maria Kerkhove of the WHO said in the early days of the pandemic: "We're changing to say physical distance and that's on purpose, because we want people to still remain connected."
67I'm Ashley Thompson.
68And I'm Caty Weaver.
1What is the difference between pandemic and epidemic? 2Do infectious and contagious mean the same thing? 3How exactly does contact tracing work? 4Even native English speakers may not fully know the answers to these questions. 5As English learners, you have probably noticed some words and phrases you do not understand when reading reports about the new coronavirus. Today, we look at some of the most common COVID-19 terms. 6We can start with epidemic versus pandemic. 7An "epidemic" is when a disease spreads through a population and affects many individuals at the same time. An epidemic may affect a community, province or even a whole country. 8A "pandemic" is a kind of epidemic -- one that spreads to a much larger area or even worldwide. Like many medical-related terms in English, the word comes from Greek. Pan- means "all or every." The second part of the word, "-demic," comes from the Greek word demos, meaning "people." 9On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus crisis a "pandemic." At a news conference that day, the 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. 10The virus is now present in 213 countries and territories worldwide. 11Infectious versus contagious 12COVID-19 is infectious and contagious. Infectious -- the adjective form of infection -- describes diseases that are spread through the environment. Malaria, for example, is an infectious disease. Humans contract the disease through mosquito bites. Malaria, however, is not contagious -- or able to be passed from one person to another. 13You already know that COVID-19 is easily passed person to person. Common colds and the seasonal flu are also contagious and infectious diseases. 14Asymptomatic 15The new coronavirus has spread quickly partly because those infected can be contagious before they even know they are sick. In other words, those people are asymptomatic. 16This word has a lot going on. Let's break it down. 17A "symptom" is a change in the body that shows a disease is present. For example, we wrote on March 30: "Most people who get COVID-19 experience mild or moderate symptoms, like coughing and high body temperature, or fever." 18"Symptomatic" is the adjective form of symptom. It means "showing that a disease is present." So, we could say: "A cough and fever are symptomatic of the new coronavirus." 19The prefix "a-" means "without." So, what happens when we add the letter "a" to "symptomatic?" The word ends up meaning "having or showing no signs of disease." 20Quarantine, isolation and social distancing 21Experts know that asymptomatic people can spread the disease. This is partly why officials are urging people to stay at home as much as possible. In some cases, whole countries were put in lockdown -- a state of restricted movement put in place as a security measure. 22Most people around the world are social distancing. This term is new to everyday English. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, uses it to describe the act of avoiding gatherings and staying about two meters away from other people. 23The World Health Organization is now using the term "physical distancing" instead of social distancing. The term is a little more exact because people can socialize without being near one another. 24Social distancing is less extreme than quarantine and isolation. 25Isolation separates sick people who have a contagious disease from people who are not sick. 26Quarantine restricts the movement of people who were around a contagious person to see if they get sick. In the case of COVID-19, the recommended quarantine period is two weeks, or 14 days. The word was first used in the 1400s in Europe and meant "a period of about 40 days." 27Quarantine can be a noun and a verb. Here it is as a noun: "Early in the coronavirus spread, Vietnam restricted travel into the country and put tens of thousands of people into quarantine." 28And here it is as a verb: "Dr. Fauci quarantined himself after two people who work at the White House were found to have the new coronavirus." 29Contact tracing 30Many experts say in order for it to be safe for places to reopen, widespread testing and contact tracing need to be in place. 31Contact tracing requires investigative action. Tracers work with confirmed COVID-19 patients to learn whom they have been close to. The tracers then inform those people that they may have been infected. The tracers also provide advice on what actions to take. 32In some places, such as South Korea and Singapore, contact tracing started early in the pandemic. 33Flatten the curve 34Social distancing, isolation and quarantining are all done to help "flatten the curve." This phrase, now extremely common in the age of COVID-19, means to slow the spread of disease. The same number of people might get sick, but infections happen over a longer period. This eases the pressure on emergency and health care resources. 35Hospitals in most areas have a limited number of beds and breathing machines, called ventilators. These machines are extremely important for treating patients with more severe cases of COVID-19. 36The health care industry is also limited in respirators. These are special masks, or nose and mouth covers. Medical workers need respirators to protect themselves from contagious patients. 37Here is how Ray Chambers, a WHO official, recently used the phrase on Twitter: "More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives." 38Chambers also used the term "physical distancing." This is not as commonly used as social distancing. The two phrases mean the same thing. As Dr. Maria Kerkhove of the WHO said in the early days of the pandemic: "We're changing to say physical distance and that's on purpose, because we want people to still remain connected." 39I'm Ashley Thompson. 40And I'm Caty Weaver. 41Ashley Thompson wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 42________________________________________________________________ 43Words in This Story 44epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people 45pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world 46infectious - adj. capable of causing infection 47contagious - adj. able to be passed from one person or animal to another by touching 48lockdown - n. a state of isolation or restricted access put in place as a security measure. 49quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 50isolation - n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others 51social distancing - phrase. the act of avoiding gatherings and staying about two meters away from other people. 52flatten the curve - phrase. to slow the spread of disease 53ventilator - n. a device for helping a person to breathe 54respirator - n. a device that helps people to breathe when they are not able to breathe naturally