Communicable Diseases Flashcards
What are three different types of immunity?
Active immunity
Passive immunity
Cross immunity
What is active immunity?
Produced by own immune system.
Long term, in some cases life long.
Natural.
Vaccines.
What is passive immunity?
Transferred from another person. Eg. mother to infant, transfusion of blood products, immune globulins.
Produced by animals (anti toxins).
Temporary.
What is cross immunity?
Immunity from one virus or bacteria provides protection against another.
How early was small pox recorded as an epidemic?
Record of epidemic as early as 1350 BC
What role did small pox play on a global scale?
Instrumental in the destruction of Aztec and Inca empires and decimated the indigenous population in Canada after European contact.
Who developed the small pox vaccine, and when?
Vaccine developed by Dr. E. Jenner in 1796
When did the WHO launch a campaign to eradicate smallpox?
1967 WHO launched campaign to eradicate.
When was small pox declared eradicated?
May 1980
Define “communicable disease”.
A contagious disease of human or animal origin caused by an infectious agent.
What are the characteristics of communicable diseases? (6)
Infectivity Pathogenicity Virulence Toxicity Invasiveness Antigenicity
What is infectivity?
The ability to enter and multiply in the host.
What is pathogenicity?
The ability to produce a specific clinical reaction after infection occurs.
What is virulence?
The ability to produce a severe pathological reaction.
What is toxicity?
The ability to produce a poisonous reaction.
What is invasiveness?
The ability to penetrate and spread throughout a body tissue.
What is antigenicity?
The ability to stimulate an immunological response.
What are the goals of communicable disease control?
To decrease the occurrence, spread, and complications of diseases.
To eliminate and eradicate vaccine-preventable disease.
What are some components of communicable disease control programs?
Immunization Outbreak management Accurate immunization record-keeping Compilation of immunization coverage data Maintenance of vaccine potency Reduction of vaccine wastage Reporting of adverse events.
When was the last polio epidemic in Canada?
1959
When was the polio vaccine developed, and by who?
Developed in 1955 by Dr. Jonas Salk
What does “eliminate” mean? (in respect to communicable diseases)
Remove a disease from a geographical area (eg. country or region).
What does “eradicate” mean? (in respect to communicable diseases)
World wide removal of the disease
What are the responsibilities of federal/provincial/territorial governments?
They control communicable disease programs. Each province has a different one.