Epidemiology

Question 1

Who conducted the first epidemiology study related to cholera?

Answer 1

John Snow

John Snow’s studies in 1849 and 1854 identified the Broad Street water pump as a source of cholera infection.

Question 2

What is the definition of an endemic disease?

Answer 2

A disease that maintains a steady, but low frequency and at moderately regular intervals within a geographic area.

Question 3

What does the term epidemic refer to?

Answer 3

A disease that has a sudden increase in occurrence above an expected level.

Question 4

What is the key goal in managing outbreaks?

Answer 4

Break the chain of transmission.

Question 5

What are the three main strategies for managing outbreaks?

Answer 5

• Eliminate source
• Break the link
• Immunisation

Question 6

Define incidence in epidemiology.

Answer 6

The number of new cases over a certain time period.

Question 7

How is mortality rate calculated?

Answer 7

Number of deaths due to a given disease / Size of the total population with the same disease per 100,000 persons or as %.

Question 8

What is the definition of prevalence in epidemiology?

Answer 8

The total number of individuals infected within a population at any one time.

Question 9

What is an outbreak of disease?

Answer 9

A sudden unexpected occurrence of a disease usually focused about a limited segment of the population.

Question 10

Identify two types of epidemics.

Answer 10

• Common source epidemic
• Host-to-host epidemic

Question 11

What factors affect the susceptibility of a population to infection?

Answer 11

• Age
• Sex
• Nutritional status
• Immunological status
• Social behaviour
• Previous exposure
• Environmental factors

Question 12

What are reservoirs of infection?

Answer 12

• Animals
• Water and soils
• Biting arthropods
• Humans

Question 13

What is the difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases?

Answer 13

Communicable diseases can be easily transmitted, while non-communicable diseases cannot.

Question 14

Fill in the blank: The capability of being easily communicated or transmitted is known as _______.

Answer 14

[communicability]

Question 15

What defines a pandemic disease?

Answer 15

An increase in disease occurrence within a large population over a very wide region.

Question 16

Provide an example of a pandemic.

Answer 16

• 1918 Spanish Flu
• 2009 Swine Flu
• 2019 Covid-19

Question 17

What is the incubation period in the context of infectious diseases?

Answer 17

The time between exposure to the infection and the appearance of symptoms.

Question 18

True or False: The mortality rate is the incidence of death in a population due to a particular disease per unit of time.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

What is the significance of Robert Koch in epidemiology?

Answer 19

Confirmed Vibrio cholera as the infectious agent and developed Koch’s postulates.

Question 20

What is a sporadic disease?

Answer 20

A disease which occurs occasionally and at irregular intervals within a human population.

Question 21

What are the periods of disease progression?

Answer 21

• Incubation period
• Prodromal period
• Period of illness
• Period of decline
• Period of convalescence

Question 22

What was the outcome of the removal of the Broad Street water pump?

Answer 22

Cases of cholera went down.

Question 23

What is the importance of treating sewage in outbreak management?

Answer 23

It helps to eliminate the source or reservoir of infection.

Question 24

What is the relationship between prevalence and incidence?

Answer 24

Prevalence is the total number of cases at a given time, while incidence is the number of new cases over a certain period.

Question 25

Fill in the blank: The total number of deaths from tuberculosis in one year was 10,000, with a total number of infected individuals of 40,000. The mortality rate would be = _______.

Answer 25

[25%]