ENDEMIC

An endemic disease is a disease that is always present in a population, e.g. chickenpox,

malaria, etc. Endemic diseases are relatively rare and not as widespread as an epidemic. It is
always prevalent in the population that lives in that area. These areas contain viruses,
bacteria or parasites which can transmit diseases to humans.
There are two types of endemic diseases:
 Holoendemic Diseases- This kind of endemic disease affects most individuals in a
population. This infection is highly prevalent in the early years of life. The adult
population do not show traces of diseases as much as children do. Malaria is a type of
holoendemic disease.
 Hyperendemic Diseases- These types of endemic diseases are constantly present
at a high rate and are found among all age groups equally.

Examples of Endemic Diseases

1. Chagas Disease
About 7.6 million people are infected with Chagas disease. It is caused by a protozoan
parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. This disease is endemic to Mexico, and South and Central
America.
2. Malaria
Malaria is an endemic disease prevalent in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
It is transmitted by a protozoan parasite from the Plasmodium genus. They destroy the red
blood cells in the spleen and liver. This causes anaemia.
3. African Sleeping Sickness
This disease is caused by a protozoan parasite belonging to two different species of the
Trypanosoma genus. This disease is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. It causes fever, joint
pain, sweating, and headaches. Slowly the parasite invades the central nervous system and
causes a disturbance in the sleep cycle, poor coordination and confusion.

Endemic diseases are often confused with epidemic diseases. An epidemic is a

sudden outbreak of a disease; however, the endemic disease is constantly
prevalent in a particular geographical area.