Control Of Communicable Disease

Question 1

Define public health

Answer 1

The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life + promoting health through the organised efforts of society

Question 2

Three domains of public health

Answer 2

Health protection
Health improvement
Healthcare public health

Question 3

Define health protection

Answer 3

The protection of individuals, groups + populations through expert advice + effective collaboration to prevent + mitigate the impact of infectious disease, environmental, chemical + radiological threats

Question 4

What are the three domains of health protection?

Answer 4

• Communicable disease control
• Environmental pubic health
• Emergency preparedness, resilience + response

Question 5

What is involved in the epidemiological triangle model?

Answer 5

• Host: the case, infected person, asymptomatic carrier…
• Agent: the pathogen or substance of concern
• Environment: the setup within which transmissions and occur

Question 6

What is the source-pathway-receptor model useful for?

Answer 6

To consider the infectious hazard + more widely environmental hazards

Question 7

How can we ‘break the chain’ of the source-pathway-receptor model in the source part?

Answer 7

• Remove
• Kill/inactivate
• Isolate
  e.g. antibitoics, disinfection, sterilisations

Question 8

How can we ‘break the chain’ of the source-pathway-receptor model in the pathway part?

Answer 8

• Barrier e.g. PPE
• Hygiene education
• Behaviour modification through policy
• Procedural measures

Question 9

How can we ‘break the chain’ of the source-pathway-receptor model in the receptor part?

Answer 9

Remove/reroute cohort
Protect e.g. immunisation, Chemoprophylaxis

Question 10

What is an outbreak?

Answer 10

Two or more cases of infectious disease that are epidemiologically linked to

Question 11

What is a cluster?

Answer 11

An aggregation of cases that may be epidemiologically linked (in time, place, person)

Question 12

Types of outbreak

Answer 12

Point source
Propagated
Extended

Question 13

Aims of managing an outbreak

Answer 13

• control spread of disease
• limit morbidity + mortality
• develop preventive strategies
• evaluate + refine existing measures
• address pubic concern
• improve knowledge of new + existing diseases

Question 14

How do we manage an outbreak?

Answer 14

• assemble team
• verify outbreak exists
• find cases
• test hypothesis
• implement control measures
• communicate findings

Question 15

What is sensitivity?

Answer 15

How good is it at correctly identifying the presence of disease?

Question 16

What is specificity?

Answer 16

How good is it at correctly identifying the absence of the disease?

Question 17

What is positive predictive value?

Answer 17

How likely a positive result is true to be

Question 18

What is negative predictive value?

Answer 18

How likely a negative result is to be true

Question 19

How do you calculate sensitivity?

Answer 19

True positive / (true positive + false negative)

Question 20

How do you calculate specificity?

Answer 20

True negative / (true negative + false positive)

Question 21

How do you calculate positive predictive value?

Answer 21

True positive / (true positive + false positive)

Question 22

How do you calculate negative predictive value?

Answer 22

True negative / (true negative + false negative)