syndemic means describing such a situation. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “syndemic” is a great word
A co-occurrence of two or more epidemics that interact synergistically within a population, compounding the collective burden of disease beyond a simple sum of their individual parts. The term is a blend of ‘synergy’ (from Greek 'synergia', meaning "working together") and ‘demic’ (from Greek 'dēmos', meaning "people, population"), patterned after 'epidemic' and coined in the mid-1990s by medical anthropologist Merrill Singer. Unlike an 'epidemic,' which charts the course of a single scourge, or 'comorbidity,' which lists ailments within one body, a syndemic maps the cruel collaboration of afflictions across a social body. It is the tuberculosis that thrives in lungs weakened by silicosis from factory dust, the malnutrition that invites cholera to feast in a famine-struck village, and the way poverty, addiction, and a novel virus intertwine to shorten a thousand lifespans at once—a diagnosis not of individuals, but of the fractured world that makes them sick.
Etymology
Coined by Merrill Singer in the mid-1990s. Blend of synergy + demic (“of a population”). Compare epidemic (literally “upon the people”).
adj
- Describing such a situation“The syndemic nature of the threat we face means that a more nuanced approach is needed if we are to protect the health of our communities.”
noun
- An aggregation of two or more diseases that interact synergistically within a population.“In sum malnutrition, infectious disease, and cognitive impairment constitute a syndemic that is rooted in and perpetuates suboptimal social, political, and economic conditions.”