epidemice

Epidemice is a term used in some theoretical discussions within epidemiology to describe a class of outbreak dynamics in which multiple outbreaks occur in connected populations that share a common exposure or transmission pathway. Unlike a single outbreak confined to one location, epidemice emphasizes networked spread, synchronized incidence peaks across regions, and the influence of shared risk factors or vectors.

Etymology and usage: The term blends epidemic with a Latin-like suffix to indicate a category rather than a location; it is not an official designation used by public health agencies. It commonly appears in modeling papers and scenario planning to explore how interruptions in one node of a network affect others.

Causes and transmission: Common exposure sources (food products, travel corridors, environmental reservoirs) or highly connected transportation and social networks can generate epidemice patterns. Carriers may include humans, animals, or contaminated surfaces; model drivers include importation rate, network centrality, and intervention timing.

Characteristics: Temporal clustering across sites, diffusion along travel and contact networks, and heterogeneous attack rates. Patterns may resemble waves but feature multiple centers rather than a single epicenter.

Public health implications: Detecting epidemice requires cross-jurisdictional surveillance, rapid data sharing, and coordinated interventions to disrupt shared exposures and decouple linked outbreaks.

See also: Epidemic, Outbreak, Pandemic, Superspreading, Network epidemiology.