In 1918-1919, an influenza virus infected about 500 million people worldwide, killing at least 50 million of them. This disease is best described as a(n) ________.

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The scale of the influenza virus outbreak in 1918-1919, which affected millions of people worldwide, indicates that it was a pandemic. An epidemic refers to the widespread occurrence of a disease within a community, whereas an outbreak refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases above a typical amount. Sporadic outbreaks refer to occasional cases of a disease, and an endemic disease is continually present in a certain area or population.

In 1918-1919, an Influenza Virus Infected About 500 Million People