epidemiologist – n. medical: an expert in the study of how disease spreads and can be controlled
exponentially – adj. very fast; increasingly very quickly
encourage – v. to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen; to persuade
chronic – adj. medical: continuing or happening again and again for a long time
approximately – adj. almost correct or exact; about
attributed – v. to explain by showing a cause <attributed his success to his coach>
epidemic – n. a situation in which a disease spreads quickly and affects many people
alarming – adj. of or related to a signal or warning