According to the dictionary this is a valid use of the word 'epidemic'.

It's also probably the best word to convey what is happening to a general audience.

> According to the dictionary this is a valid use of the word 'epidemic'.

That's circular logic because dictionaries keep changing their definition to match what ignorant people use.

Etymological dictionaries are immune to that problem.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/epidemic -- "epi-dēmos", "among the people".

If you hold close what the term says, and regard the use as a derivation, you develop an aware, rooted terminology.

But then, you'd lose the grounds to embrace a conventional derivation as what the term means - which is what you just condemned.

Not even dictionaries are safe from judgement

>definition matches what people use

That is indeed how this "language" thing works.

> Journalists are completely illiterate these days.

Was this intentional? You just made the same error.

In their defense, they're not a journalist.

>>If people eat more meat then are we supposed to talk about "tall people epidemic", because the average height of most people increase?

Have you not heard about the "obesity epidemic"?

This is a common figurative use of the word. The etymology comes from the Greek meaning "upon/on people", so nothing in the root connects the meaning to how something develops or spreads.

Then why not call it a "pandemic"? Shortsighteness has become a global phenomenon with more than one local maximum, hasn't it?

Each pandemic is also epidemic. Pandemics are subset of epidemics. The word pandemic existing does not make the use of word epidemics incorrect.

Also, pandemic is not normally used in non medical context while epidemics is frequently used that way and was for years. The journalist probably decided to use the common words in their common meaning instead of going for obscure usages.

Because it’s not a common figurative use of the word pandemic.

From the article: «East Asia has seen a stunning rise in the rate of short-sightedness».

epidemic, novel, genocide etc. have become diluted due to misuse....

epidemic: a sudden, widespread occurrence of a particular undesirable phenomenon.

You have no idea how language works and provided a weak example that didn't make any sense.