Final answer:
Morbidity refers to the presence of disease within a population and is measured by morbidity rate, expressing the number of cases per standard population unit. It is distinct from mortality, which is death, and is crucial for understanding the health burden of diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Morbidity refers to the state of being diseased or the presence of illness within a population. Specifically, it involves the incidence or prevalence of a disease. Morbidity rate is a measurement of the extent of disease found in a population and is expressed as the number of cases of a given disease per a standard part of the population, often per 100,000 people. Not to be confused with mortality, which refers to death, morbidity essentially quantifies the disease burden within a community by representing either the number of people suffering from a disease at a given time (prevalence) or the number of new cases that develop over a certain period (incidence).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), which serves as a key resource for tracking both morbidity and mortality rates across the United States. Understanding these rates is crucial for public health, as they help assess the overall health impact of various diseases and conditions.