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This is a two part question. First part: a few diseases require or allow an article (the flu, the measles, the shingles), but most do not permit it (polio, diarrhea, cancer, COPD). You can test this in the sentence: "Last year I had [the][disease]". What determines when an article is not permitted or required before the name of a disease?

Second part: If someone does use an article in front of a disease that normally does not need one-- "In January my cousin got the Covid"--is this more than just a solecism? It might not be an error, but rather a style of speech. But it implies, to me, that the speaker is uneducated or from a lower economic class.

cbarnett
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  • @Mitch The very title of the second link in my comment is 'Which article is correct when referring to a disease eg the flu; a cold?' – Edwin Ashworth Nov 16 '20 at 19:36
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    I clearly should have researched the site prior to posting my question. – cbarnett Nov 16 '20 at 20:03
  • @EdwinAshworth haha...I can't read. Well, I didn't see it in the half read articles I did open. – Mitch Nov 16 '20 at 20:34
  • Are there any other diseases that just use 'a'? A headache? A broken arm? A fever? – Mitch Nov 16 '20 at 20:34