Exam 2 - Epidemiology Flashcards
epidemiology
the study of how diseases affect whole communities
Edward Jenner
Smallpox, created the world’s first vaccine
- discovered that lesions on the hands of milkmaids from cowpox protected them from the smallpox
John Snow
Cholera, germ theory of disease
- mapped locations of water intake and sick people –> removal of Broad Street pump –> immediate reduction in cholera deaths
Florence Nightingale
created the establishment of modern nursing practices
- reduction in mortality rates of wounded British soldiers during Crimean War
endemic
diseases persist at a moderate and steady level within a geographical area
sporadic
no pattern of occurrence in a given time or location
epidemic
high number of cases in excess of normal expectations
pandemic
worldwide epidemic
morbidity
illness or disease state
mortality
deaths
incidence
new cases in a population in a specific period of time
prevalence
new and existing cases in a population at a specified time
incubation period
time between infection and onset of symptoms
prodromal period
first appearance of mild or nonspecific symptoms
communicable period
contagious and can directly or indirectly transmit
convalescence
recovery period
true carrier
contagious without symptoms
incubatory carrier
contagious during the incubation period
convalescent carrier
contagious during/after recovery
infectious dose
minimum number of viruses or amount of infectious material needed
virulence
severity of disease
pathogenicity
ability of virus to cause disease
R-nought (Ro)
reproduction rate of virus, mean number of secondary cases in susceptible population
direct transmission
person to person through direct physical contact
