While they all sound similar and are related, they do have different meanings and we would like to remove any mystery and confusion in these widely-used terms.
Why do these three words often confuse people? All three words contain -demic and are used to talk about disease, or specifically outbreaks of disease. The demic part of these three words comes from the Greek dêmos, “people of a district.” The different meanings are a function of the first three letters.
What does this mean for the veterinary community?
Endemic refers to the constant presence of a specific disease within a geographic area. It’s a disease that is normal and commonly found in a particular location, region or specific population. So what we would consider normal in a given area during a particular time of year. We would say that strangles in horses is endemic in Kentucky. We see horses every year all over the state that need veterinary care for this disease.