GH WK 11- Outbreak Management Flashcards
What is an epidemic
An increased number of cases of an infectious illness above expected levels in a place of region
What is an outbreak
Is an increased number of cases of an infectious illness within a very limited area (cases may have a contextual relationship with eachother), OR can refer to a non-infectious event
What is a pandemic
The extension of an epidemic beyond regional boundaries (potentially world wide)
What is an endemic
Infectious disease that exists at a stable rate in a community ALREADY
What are the 3 aspects of outbreak containment
- Recognition–> recognise outbreak potential
- Notification
- Response
What are the 3 types of notification
- Notification based on laboratory results-> ie positive lab test
- Notification based on clincial findings-> ie tetanus
- Notification based on suspicion-> reserved for high risk patients eg. polio, ebola
What information is important to know for managing an outbreak
-symptom profile
-deaths
-locations
-contact (between current cases and new contacts),
-potential sources
-features of disease→
symptoms, incubation period, mode(s) of transmission, infectivity period, expected fatality rate, available treatments, effective preventative strategies, historical data
What are the 11 principles of outbreak management
- Establish the existence of an outbreak
- Verify the diagnosis
- Construct a working case definition
- Find cases systematically and record information
- Perform descriptive epidemiology
- Develop hypotheses
- Evaluate hypothesis epidemiology
- Compare and reconcile with lab an/or environmental studies
- Implement control and prevention measures specific to the situation
- Initiate or maintain surveillance
- Communicate findings
What is a working case defintion
not a diagnostic tool but used for surveillance
→ ‘A case definition is set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Case definitions enable public health to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions, and should not be used by healthcare providers to determine how to meet an individual patient’s health needs’ CDC
What is the clinical criteria for Ebola
-Any person currently presenting or having presented before death:
- Fever ≥38.6°C
AND any of the following:
-Severe headache
-Vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
-Unexplained haemorrhagic manifestations in various forms
-Multi-organ failure
OR a person who died suddenly and inexplicably
What is the clinical laboratory diagnosis of Ebola
Any of the following:
- Detection of Ebola virus nucleic acid in a clinical specimen and confirmation by sequencing or a second assay on different genomic targets.
- Isolation of Ebola virus from a clinical specimen
What is the case definition for standard Ebola
Illness with onset of fever and no response to treatment for usual causes of fever in the area, and at least one of the following signs: bloody diarrhoea, bleeding from gums, bleeding into skin (purpura), bleeding into eyes and urine
What is the case definition for an outbreak of Ebola
Any person, alive or dead, suffering or having suffered from a sudden onset of high fever and having had contact with: a suspected, probable or confirmed Ebola case; a dead or sick animal. OR unexplained bleeding OR unexplained
