24 Questions
What is the term for a disease that occurs at a steady rate in a specific geographic area?
Endemic
What is the difference between incidence and prevalence of a disease?
Incidence is the number of new cases, while prevalence is the total number of cases
What is the term for a disease that is newly emerging or re-emerging in a population?
Emerging
What is the term for an individual who is infected with a pathogen but does not show symptoms?
Carrier
What is the term for the ability of a pathogen to cause disease?
Virulence
What is the term for a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease in a specific area?
Outbreak
What is an example of a viral haemorrhagic fever?
Ebola
What is the term for the number of new cases of a disease in a population over a specific time period?
Incidence
What is the term for a disease that is constantly present, typically in low numbers, in a population?
Endemic
What is the term for an increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in a population?
Epidemic
What is the term for a disease that is distributed worldwide?
Pandemic
What is the term for the amount of a particular disease that is usually present in a community?
Endemic level
What is the term for a reservoir of infection, a source of infectious agents from which susceptible individuals may be infected?
Endemic focus
What occurs when conditions change in the host, agent, or environment, and an endemic disease becomes epidemic?
Disease surveillance
What is the term for the occurrence of cases in excess of what is normally expected in a community or region?
Epidemic
What is specified when describing an epidemic?
All of the above
What is the primary method by which diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, and pertussis have been controlled?
Immunization
What is the term for the separation of persons who have an infectious disease from those who are healthy?
Isolation
What type of epidemic is characterized by a rapid increase and decline in cases?
Common-source epidemic
What is the term for a widespread, usually global epidemic?
Pandemic
Which of the following is an example of a common vehicle for pathogen dispersal?
Food
What is the goal of concerted disease eradication programs?
To eliminate infectious diseases
What is the purpose of quarantine?
To restrict the movement of individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious disease
What is the term for the process of transmitting an infectious disease from one person to another?
Host-to-host transmission
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
Understand the differences between endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases, including their distribution and impact on populations.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
