pandemic
/panˈdɛmɪk
/adjective
(Of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.Most topical is the risk of pandemic influenza, which seems to be the highest in three decades....
- Mr Abbott today announced that the government would speed up funding for research into pandemic influenza.
- It is a remarkable achievement which increases Britain's ability to cope with pandemic flu, should it happen.
Synonyms
widespread, prevalent, pervasive, rife, rampant, epidemic;
universal, global
noun
An outbreak of a pandemic disease: the AIDS pandemic...
- Two highly contagious enteroviruses are known to cause epidemics and pandemics of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis.
- Women also face severe constraints because of outbreak of pandemics like HIV / AIDS and other diseases.
- Influenza pandemics are global outbreaks that emerge infrequently and unpredictably and involve strains of virus to which humans have little or no immunity.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Greek pandēmos (from pan 'all' + dēmos 'people') + -ic.