Step I Endemic vs epidemic

[pre med 2014]

Pandemic is multiple continent spread and caused by antigenic shift.

Now which one does antigenic drift cause: endemic or epidemic? What is the difference?


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[chromuffin]

Pandemic is multiple continent spread and caused by antigenic shift.

Now which one does antigenic drift cause: endemic or epidemic? What is the difference?


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If something is endemic, then it is naturally found. This doesn't refer to disease in particular... For instance, you could say penguins are endemic to Antarctica but not Greenland. Or disease X is endemic to Africa. Disease Y is endemic to Caucasians. Etc.

Epidemics occur when diseases occur and spread quickly to areas beyond their natural (or endemic) locations. Think about it this way. Imagine the new disease East Nile. It's endemic to the eastern US. An epidemic occurs when it spreads to California. And then a pandemic occurs when it spreads outside the US.