Let’s Break Down the “Emics" Conundrum: SDG3 and The Race against “Epidemics” and “Pandemics”

A simple way to know the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic is to remember the “P” in pandemic, which means a pandemic has a passport. A pandemic is an epidemic that travels.

So what’s the difference between epidemic and endemic?

An epidemic is actively spreading; new cases of the disease substantially exceed what is expected. More broadly, it’s used to describe any problem that’s out of control, such as “the opioid epidemic.” An epidemic is often localized to a region, but the number of those infected in that region is significantly higher than normal. For example, when COVID-19 was limited to Wuhan, China, it was an epidemic. The geographical spread turned it into a pandemic.

Endemic, on the other hand, are a constant presence in a specific location. For example, Malaria is endemic to parts of Africa.

AN EPIDEMIC is a disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region.

A PANDEMIC is an epidemic that’s spread over multiple countries or continents.

From all indications, and going by the above definitions, it seems that Epidemics tend to be more endemic than their more widespread counterparts, i.e., Pandemics.

Just think about the usual suspects, cholera, dengue, malaria, measles, tuberculosis. Or perhaps the less frequent, but not too dormant Ebola.

However defined, both have unearthed the soft underbelly of the global healthcare system and reset the timer in the race towards achieving SDG3 by the 2030.

We to think up another phrase to the next set of development goals as both the “millennium” and “sustainable” now seem more like “own” rather than “development” goals.