Gestation and birth of panendemic

Abstract

Words are born, compete with each other, and some die, showing the language dynamics and the influence of historical contexts1. During 2020, the meaning of the word pandemic has been discussed and a new meaning has emerged2,3. Traditionally in epidemiology, “pandemic” was used when in a relatively short time, there was a widespread geographical distribution of a disease, including some countries and continents4, which contrasts with the moment when the World Health Organization decided to decree it for the COVID-19 pandemic. In this case, the criteria indicated by the classic epidemiological definition were met several days before the pandemic was declared. Even an intermediate step was to declare Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) understood as: “an extraordinary event which ‘constitute[s] a public health risk to other States through international spread of disease and…potentially require[s] a coordinated international response”5. In this way, potential panic was controlled, and the word pandemic was left for circumstances that require the maximum attention of all States, for a joint response, given its very high potential for disease and death.