morbidity
n.n. the state of being sick or the rate at which people in a group are ill. It is often used to describe how common a specific disease is in a certain area.
n. the state of being ill or the prevalence of a specific disease within a population. Often used in medical statistics to measure the frequency of a condition.
The hospital reported a high rate of morbidity this year.
Public health officials are tracking the morbidity of the flu to determine if a new vaccine is needed.
While the mortality rate remained stable, the rising morbidity of chronic respiratory diseases highlighted the urgent need for improved urban air quality standards.
Recorded since 1721; from morbid + -ity, from Latin morbidus (“diseased”), from morbus (“disease”), from the root of morī (“to die”) or from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pound, wear away”).