What does the term 'incidence' refer to in public health?

The term 'incidence' in public health specifically refers to the rate at which new cases of a disease develop within a particular population over a specified period of time. It is often expressed as the number of new cases per unit of population at risk, typically per year. This measure is crucial for understanding how quickly a disease is spreading and helps in evaluating the effectiveness of prevention strategies and public health interventions.

For instance, if a disease has a high incidence rate, it suggests that there are many new cases arising within the community, which can indicate an outbreak or a need for more public health resources devoted to controlling that disease. Therefore, the definition associated with the rate of development of a specific disease accurately captures the essence of what incidence measures in the context of public health.