During an epidemic, which would you expect to rapidly increase?

During an epidemic, the incidence of a disease refers to the number of new cases occurring in a specific population over a defined period of time. When an epidemic is underway, there is typically a sudden increase in the transmission of the infectious agent, which leads to a swift rise in the number of individuals who become newly infected. Therefore, the incidence rate will rapidly increase as a direct consequence of the heightened spread of the disease.

In contrast, prevalence, which measures the total number of cases (both new and existing) within a population at a given time, may not increase as rapidly since it includes both new infections and those already existing in the population. While mortality rate and recovery rate can also change during an epidemic, their changes are usually reflective of the effects of the epidemic rather than indicators of the epidemic's rapid escalation.

Understanding this distinction is crucial because it allows public health officials to determine how widespread a disease is becoming and to implement appropriate control measures in response to the epidemic.