Epidemiology: Endemic, Epidemic, and Pandemic Diseases

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Questions and Answers

What is the term for a disease that occurs at a steady rate in a specific geographic area?

Outbreak

Endemic (correct)

Pandemic

Epidemic

What is the difference between incidence and prevalence of a disease?

Incidence is the rate of disease in a population, while prevalence is the total number of cases

Incidence is the number of new cases, while prevalence is the total number of cases (correct)

Incidence is the total number of cases, while prevalence is the number of new cases

Incidence is the total number of cases, while prevalence is the rate of disease in a population

What is the term for a disease that is newly emerging or re-emerging in a population?

Emerging (correct)

Endemic

Pandemic

Epidemic

What is the term for an individual who is infected with a pathogen but does not show symptoms?

Carrier Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the ability of a pathogen to cause disease?

Virulence Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease in a specific area?

Outbreak Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a viral haemorrhagic fever?

Ebola Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the number of new cases of a disease in a population over a specific time period?

Incidence Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a disease that is constantly present, typically in low numbers, in a population?

Endemic Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for an increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in a population?

Epidemic Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a disease that is distributed worldwide?

Pandemic Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the amount of a particular disease that is usually present in a community?

Endemic level Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a reservoir of infection, a source of infectious agents from which susceptible individuals may be infected?

Endemic focus Signup and view all the answers

What occurs when conditions change in the host, agent, or environment, and an endemic disease becomes epidemic?

Disease surveillance Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the occurrence of cases in excess of what is normally expected in a community or region?

Epidemic Signup and view all the answers

What is specified when describing an epidemic?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary method by which diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, and pertussis have been controlled?

Immunization Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the separation of persons who have an infectious disease from those who are healthy?

Isolation Signup and view all the answers

What type of epidemic is characterized by a rapid increase and decline in cases?

Common-source epidemic Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a widespread, usually global epidemic?

Pandemic Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a common vehicle for pathogen dispersal?

Food Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of concerted disease eradication programs?

To eliminate infectious diseases Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of quarantine?

To restrict the movement of individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious disease Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process of transmitting an infectious disease from one person to another?

Host-to-host transmission Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Types of Disease Occurrences

Endemic disease: constant presence and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area
Epidemic: an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area
Pandemic: a widespread, usually global epidemic

Characteristics of Epidemics

Common-source epidemic: incidence rises sharply to a peak and then declines rapidly, e.g., cholera from contaminated water
Propagated outbreak: incidence rises relatively slowly as new cases accumulate, usually due to direct person-to-person contact

Disease Control Measures

Immunization: controlled diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, and poliomyelitis
Isolation: separation of persons with infectious disease from those who are healthy
Quarantine: separation and restriction of well persons who may have been exposed to an infectious disease
Pathogen eradication: concerted disease eradication programs can completely eradicate an infectious disease, e.g., smallpox

Disease Scope

Sporadic cases: occur one at a time in geographically separated areas, suggesting no relation between cases
Disease outbreak: appearance of a large number of cases in a short time in an area previously experiencing only sporadic or endemic diseases
Emerging and re-emerging infections: more than 30 previously unknown or formerly well-controlled communicable diseases emerged or re-emerged in the last decades of the 20th century, e.g., HIV/AIDS

Disease Incidence and Prevalence

Incidence: number of new cases in a population in a given time period, an indicator of infection risk
Prevalence: total number of new and existing disease cases in a population in a given time period, a snapshot of the extent of a disease in a population at any given time

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Description

Understand the differences between endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases, including their distribution and impact on populations.