Medical Translation Fun Time

[sinnesspiel]

 I've come up against the problem a few times in past chapters but it's becoming more aggressively an issue, so I'd like to ask for help from those more versed in epidemiology and terminology than myself. 

 

Epidemic in English means a disease is happening more than would be expected (based on past rates) for a certain place or time period. 

 

In Japanese, epidemic means a specifically infectious disease that spreads from one agent (human, animal, etc.) to an individual in a chain reaction, the numbers of infected patients rising as a result. 

 

The word may be used more generally colloquially as a disease which spreads, but in the Japanese medical field, the word epidemic, DenSenByou (literally "contagious disease"; Den - influence, connect; Sen - Dye, color, effect; Byou - disease) is only used to refer to specific diseases covered by specific laws for management and prevention of them. I may make a larger post or cultural note on this if anyone is interested in Japanese health law; it's changed quite a bit since 1998 when this was written, much less 1994 from whence this is based. 

 

But back to the point, this is becoming increasingly frustrating to translate. Densen in densenbyou is also used as a verb for to infect (densen suru). This is relevant particularly in the latest chapter as they bring up the matter of "it's not a densenbyou but is it densening and thus basically a densenbyou?" Yet, we talk about epidemics in English, not infectious diseases. The word plague (ekibyou in Japanese, but perhaps closer to the English meaning epidemic) doesn't have the specific legal definition which is a discussion point used in the novel to declare it's not, technically, an epidemic. 

 

Is there a good English word that refers only, or at least is understood to specifically mean infectious diseases, besides, well, "infectious disease"?  It will seem unnatural for everyone to ask if it's an infectious disease. Asking about an epidemic, as the word implies something that spreads far and wide makes sense. However, the sense of communicability is lost. Seishin specifically uses ekibyou at one point, as as the doctor muses that that's an old fashioned word choice (which plague is in English too, a bit), so I'd like to differentiate it from plague too, if possible...

 

At any rate, some feedback is requested on words to use. If more explanation is needed, I'll provide it, and I suspect I won't be able to get out of culture noting this. I also know I have at least three people translating Shiki from English to their native languages, so this is a heads up that there will be a possible heavy translation overhaul of several chapters! Take note! Sorry for the trouble!