16 Questions
What is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why?
Epidemiology
Which type of disease occurs with a frequency in excess of what is expected?
Epidemic
What is the number of new cases that occur in a population where there may be both susceptible and immune people present?
Effective reproduction number
What is the absolute ability of an infectious agent to cause damage?
Pathogenicity
What is the rate of new cases of disease?
Incidence
What type of disease is caused by a pathogen transmitted from a source to a susceptible host through direct or indirect contact with the source?
Infectious disease
What is the difference between virulence and pathogenicity?
Virulence measures the severity of a disease, while pathogenicity measures the ability of a microorganism to cause disease
What distinguishes communicable diseases from contagious diseases?
Communicable diseases can be transmitted by direct or indirect contact, while contagious diseases are the quickest and easiest to spread
What defines an endemic disease?
The habitual presence of a disease within a specific geographical area
When does an epidemic occur?
When the frequency of a disease exceeds what is expected due to changes in the equilibrium of population, agent, and environment
What characterizes a pandemic?
A worldwide epidemic affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the global population
How is the speed of transmission of an infection measured?
By using the attack rate (β)
What does the reproductive number (R) measure?
The average number of secondary cases produced by cases during their infectious periods
What characterizes an emerging infectious disease?
Caused by a pathogen newly recognized as causing disease in humans
What distinguishes re-emerging infectious diseases?
Already known to affect humans but has expanded its potential range
What does breaking some links in the chain of infection aim to achieve?
Stopping transmission of the infection by targeting various points along its spread from source to susceptible host
Test your knowledge of the fundamental concepts of epidemiology, including disease occurrence, distribution, determinants, and prevention strategies.
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