Epidemiology Terminology

noun a deadly plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing an estimated 25 million people

• The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was a devastating pandemic that swept through Europe in the 14th century.
• Did you know that the Black Death wiped out nearly half of Europe's population during the Middle Ages?
• Man, the Black Death was no joke back in the day.
• The spread of fake news is like the Black Death of our modern era, infecting minds and causing chaos.

adjective Capable of being transmitted from one person to another through direct or indirect contact.

• The flu virus is highly contagious and can easily spread from person to person.
• Be careful, the stomach bug going around is super contagious.
• Dude, that new dance move is contagious - everyone is doing it now.
• His enthusiasm for the project was contagious, inspiring the whole team to work harder.

noun a plant or animal that is native to a certain area

adjective characteristic of a particular population, environment, or region

• The disease is endemic to this region, meaning it is constantly present.
• It seems like the flu is endemic around here, everyone keeps getting sick.
• That type of attitude is endemic in this school, it's like everyone is always trying to one-up each other.
• Corruption seems to be endemic in politics, it's hard to find a politician who isn't somehow involved in it.

noun a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time

adjective relating to or of the nature of an epidemic

• The government is implementing measures to control the spread of the epidemic.
• Have you heard about the flu epidemic going around?
• The epidemic of bad hair days is real this week.
• The epidemic of negativity is spreading fast in our office.

noun an instance of something happening; occurrence

adjective relating to or denoting incidence

• The incidence of heart disease has been on the rise in recent years.
• Have you heard about the incidence of car accidents on that road?
• The incidence of drama in that group chat is off the charts.
• The incidence of kindness in the world seems to be decreasing.

noun a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague

• The town was ravaged by a deadly pestilence that spread rapidly through the population.
• There's a nasty pestilence going around, so make sure to wash your hands frequently.
• Man, that flu is like a total pestilence, it's knocking everyone out.
• Hate and negativity can spread like a pestilence, infecting every aspect of one's life.

noun a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically with the formation of buboes (bubonic plague) and sometimes infection of the lungs (pneumonic plague)

verb to cause continual trouble or distress to

• The bubonic plague was a devastating pandemic in the 14th century.
• The plague wiped out a large portion of the population in medieval times.
• The plague was like, totally gnarly back in the day.
• Negativity can spread like a plague if left unchecked.

noun the fact or condition of being prevalent; widespread existence or occurrence

adjective prevalent

• The prevalence of diabetes has been steadily increasing in the population.
• Have you noticed the prevalence of fast food restaurants in this area?
• The prevalence of selfies on social media is out of control.
• The prevalence of fake news makes it difficult to discern the truth.

noun a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering

verb to cause great suffering or harm

• The scourge of poverty continues to affect millions around the world.
• The flu season is always a scourge on our office.
• That new policy is a real scourge on our fun.
• Gossip can be a scourge that spreads quickly and causes harm.

noun the frequency of a pathogen in a population, as measured by serological tests

• The study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of the virus in the population.
• They're trying to figure out how many people have antibodies to the virus.
• They're checking to see how many folks have already had the bug.
• The seroprevalence data painted a picture of the virus's impact on the community.

noun a measure used in epidemiology to describe the frequency of new cases of a disease within a population over a specific period of time

• The attack rate of the virus in the population is steadily increasing.
• The virus is spreading fast, the attack rate is going up.
• The attack rate of this bug is off the charts!
• The attack rate of negativity in that group is overwhelming.

noun a job title for someone who performs contact tracing

• The contact tracer called to inform me that I had been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
• The contact tracer reached out to let me know I might have been exposed to the virus.
• The contact tracer hit me up about a possible COVID-19 exposure.
• The contact tracer was like a detective, tracking down all my recent interactions to prevent the spread of the virus.

noun a practice of maintaining a certain physical distance from others in order to prevent the spread of disease

• It is important to maintain social distance to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• Make sure to keep your social distance when you're out in public.
• Don't forget to practice social distancing when you're around others.
• Sometimes it's necessary to create social distance in order to protect your own well-being.

noun a mathematical term used in epidemiology to represent the average number of secondary infections produced by a single infected individual in a susceptible population

adjective related to the basic reproduction number in epidemiology

• The R0 value of the virus is a crucial factor in determining its potential for spread within a population.
• I heard the R0 for the new strain is really high, so we need to be extra cautious.
• Did you see the R0 on that flu strain? It's no joke, man.
• The R0 of misinformation can be just as damaging as a contagious disease spreading through a community.

noun the process of tracking down and monitoring individuals who have come into contact with an infected person

• Contact tracing is a crucial method used by public health officials to track and contain the spread of infectious diseases.
• They're doing contact tracing to find out who else might have been exposed.
• Contact tracing is like detective work to identify and notify people who may have come into contact with a contagious person.
• In the world of public health, contact tracing is akin to following the breadcrumbs to stop the spread of illness.

noun a person or thing that spreads something, especially a disease, widely

adjective describing something that has the ability to spread something widely

• The health department identified the party as a potential super-spreader event.
• I heard that gathering was a super-spreader.
• That party was a total super-spreader, dude.
• Misinformation can act as a super-spreader of fear and panic.

noun a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through previous infections or vaccination, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who

• The country is aiming to achieve herd immunity through widespread vaccination.
• Once enough people are vaccinated, we can reach herd immunity and get back to normal.
• Hey, have you heard about that herd immunity thing? It's when enough people are immune to a disease.
• In the battle against the virus, herd immunity is like having a shield of protection around the community.