Final answer:
High prevalence of a chronic disease indicates either many new cases (high incidence) or a long duration of disease among patients (high survival). Some infectious diseases are indeed chronic, such as HIV/AIDS and herpes, because of the inability of the body to fully eliminate the responsible pathogens.
Step-by-step explanation:
The high prevalence of a chronic disease can indicate either a high incidence of the disease or a high survival rate among those affected. If a disease has a high incidence, this suggests that many new cases are being reported, thus contributing to a high prevalence. Conversely, if patients with a chronic disease are living longer due to effective treatments or other factors, this can also result in a high prevalence, even if the incidence, or rate of new cases, is low. Therefore, high prevalence might be indicative of both high incidence or high survival, or low incidence or low survival.
Regarding the second question, it is indeed true that some infectious diseases are chronic. A prime example is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to the chronic condition of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Another example is the herpes simplex virus, which remains in the body for life despite episodic outbreaks. So yes, an infectious disease can certainly be a chronic disease because they are caused by pathogens that the body often cannot completely eliminate.