Morbidity rates refer to the incidence or prevalence of diseases, illnesses, injuries, or other health problems within a given population over a specific period of time. Incidence rates measure the number of new cases of a disease or condition that occur in a population at risk during a specified period, while prevalence rates measure the total number of cases (both new and existing) of a disease or condition present in a population at a particular point in time or during a specific period. Morbidity rates are important indicators of the health status of a population and are used in public health to track disease trends, identify risk factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and healthcare systems. They can be expressed in various ways, such as the number of cases per 1,000 or 100,000 people in the population per year, and can be specific to certain diseases, age groups, or other demographic categories.