Is Ebola in DRC an "outbreak" or an "epidemic" or does the distinction not matter? We've been having a backroom debate at Science.
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Was just reading this on their website as well and in a doc from the Harvard Global Health Institute
Since this is still very localized transmission, I’d say it’s (still) an outbreak, not an epidemic. West Africa had an epidemic as there was widespread transmission across multiple countries.
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So there has only ever been one Ebola epidemic by that logic then?
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Yup. (And just to be clear - all based on personal opinion, as no firm definitions exist (that I know of). I also don’t call a single Ebola case an outbreak, although that’s commonly done).
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I am not sure ‘outbreak’ and ‘epidemic’ are mutually exclusive terms. To me, an epidemic suggests R0>1 and rapid or sustained transmission. Outbreak suggests transmission in a new host, population or location.
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No, definitely not one or the other. I, and some others here, were arguing this particular outbreak in DRC can also be called an epidemic.
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