A sharp peak followed by a rapid decline in an epidemic curve is most likely indicative of:
Understand the Problem
The question is asking which scenario is indicated by an epidemic curve that shows a sharp peak followed by a rapid decline. This relates to understanding the characteristics of different types of disease transmission and outbreaks.
Answer
A common source outbreak
The final answer is B. A common source outbreak
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is B. A common source outbreak
More Information
A sharp peak followed by a rapid decline in an epidemic curve typically describes a common source outbreak. In such outbreaks, individuals are exposed to the same source over a brief period, leading to a sudden increase in cases.
Tips
Be careful not to confuse common source outbreaks with person-to-person transmission, which usually shows a continuous or gradually increasing curve.
Sources
- Epidemic Curves - sph.bu.edu - sphweb.bumc.bu.edu
- Epidemic Curves Ahead - nciph.sph.unc.edu - nciph.sph.unc.edu
- Epidemiology Training: Modes of Transmission - CDC - cdc.gov