<prompt> A new drug does not prevents a disease from occurring but reduce death due to that disease. Which of the following is true: March 2005, March 2013 bIt will increase the incidence and prevalenceIt will decrease the incidence and prevalencePrevalence is increasedIncidence is increased  <response>: Ans. C: Prevalence is increased In epidemiology, the prevalence of a disease in a statistical population is defined as the total number of cases of the disease in the population at a given time, or the total number of cases in the population, divided by the number of individuals in the population. It is used as an estimate of how common a condition is within a population over a ceain period of time. Prevalence refers to all current cases old and new existing at a given point in time, or over a period of time in a given population. Although referred to as a rate, prevalence rate is a ratio. Incidence rate is the number of new cases occurring in a defined population during a specified period of time. 