Which term describes the number of deaths per population in a given time period?

• A. Morbidity
• B. Incidence
• C. Mortality
• D. Prevalence

Answer: (C)

This question is about how we describe deaths in a population over time. Mortality is the number of deaths in a defined population during a specific time period, typically expressed as a rate per a set population (for example, per 100,000 people per year). This specifically captures fatal burden over time, which is what the question asks for.

Morbidity refers to illness or disease burden, not deaths. Incidence is the rate at which new cases of a disease develop in a population during a time period. Prevalence is the total number of existing cases (ill or not) at a particular point in time or over a period. An example helps: if 200 people die in a city of 1,000,000 over one year, the mortality rate is 20 deaths per 100,000 people per year.