Epidemiology & Surveillance Flashcards
What is an emerging infection?
infections that have newly appeared in a population, or have previously existed but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range
Focus of a PH professional for CDC
- Contacts
- Source
- Prevention
- Control
What is an epidemiologic transition
phenomenon whereby the prevalence and type of disease experienced by a country evolves with development. Over time (development), prevalence of infectious diseases falls and that of non communicable diseases increases
What country characteristics increase infectious diseases
- low wealth
- low development
Why are IDs more common in less developed settings (5)
lack of safe drinking water
poor sanitation
overcrowded living conditions
limited access to healthcare
malnutrition
What are the negative effects of urbanization (5)
Pollution
Accidents
Heat Island effects
Climate change
High population density –> ID outbreaks (particularly in overcrowding and poor WASH)
What is the effect of globalisation & global trade?
economic linkages & dependencies between countries –> greater movement of peoples, goods & services.
Global trade –> environmental degredation & climate change
Benefits of globalization to ID
growth of communications technology
social networking
research links
spread of healthcare technology
–>enable health knowledge & expertise to be widely disseminated
Effects of technological advances & travel
air travel –> rapid ID spread.
Import of diseases from endemic countries to non endemic countries
Health tourism - spread both ways
transport of disease vectors & pathogens
food born diseases
Effect of healthcare advances
Invasive medicine - creates means for infection to be introduced - including opportunistic.
Antibiotic resistance - increasing concerns especially with spread due to travel
Effect of climate change
increased suitable breeding environments for mosquitos & accelerate their lifecycle –> increasing numbers
–> increase in infectious diseases e.g. Malaria & Dengue
Extend breeding habitat for ticks
Increase in extreme weather events –> further ID outbreaks
International initiatives for ICD control
GAVI; WHO Essential Medicines list
etc
International health regulations: notifiable diseases, health rules for trade and travel, measures for disinfecting ships etc, health documents required
What is a PHEIC (public health emergency of international concern)
an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and potentially require a coordinated international response
Early Warning Systems
EnterNet (enteric pathogens)
EARSNet (antimicrobial resistance)
EISN (influenza)
GOARN - WHO global outbreak alert and response network
What is ‘One Health’
broader focus looking at people, animals, plants and the shared environment as they all interlink – therefore multisectoral approach to health
What is the purpose of epidemiology
to identify risk factors & trends in infection
What to look for in terms of distribution of disease
Time
Place (geographical link, setting)
Person (contacts of index case & anything specific about the people getting it)
What do communicable disease interventions target
Anything along the lifecycle of disease:
source, pathway, receptors
Reservoir –> agent –> host –> reservoir
What is a vehicle
a vector that isn’t a living thing. E.g. needle, surgical equipment
How to describe disease
Frequency (how often occuring)
distribution (time, place, person)
Determinants (are there common factors e.g. smoking, social deprivation, occupation)
Describe the chain of infection
reservoir –> portal of exit –> agent –> mode of transmission –> portal of entry –> host –> person to person spread –> reservoir
Features of Direct transmission
Direct contact with infected material or pathogens
e.g. scabies, viral gastroenteritis
Includes fomites
Can have multiple modes of transmission e.g. respiratory diseases -> airborne and direct by droplets settling onto objects
Indirect transmission
Vector borne or vehicle borne
Endemic def
Persistent level of disease occurrence
Hyper-endemic
persistently high levels of diseases occurrence
Sporadic
Irregular pattern of occurance
Epidemic
Occurrence in an area in excess of what is expected for a given time period
Pandemic
Epidemic widespread over several countries
Outbreak
2 or more cases of a disease that are linked
OR
occurrence of a disease (can be just 1 case) that is not expected in an area e.g. Ebola in UK
If cases aren’t linked (and not unexpected disease) its not an outbreak its a cluster
Common source outbreak
When a group of persons have been exposed to a common source of an infectious agent or toxin. e.g. at the same restaurant
Point source outbreak
When the exposure to an infectious agent or toxin has occurred over a brief period of time
Propagated Outbreak
When an outbreak is gradually spreading from person to person.
Epidemic curve is initially separate waves and then they start to merge together as incubation periods etc. start to overlap