GI Infections and Public Health Flashcards
Steps in outbreak management
Establish the existence of an outbreak
Define cases and identify cases (including through surveillance)
Formulate hypotheses and implement initial control measures
Test hypotheses through analysis of data, studies
Readjust hypotheses and control measures
Plan for long term prevention and control
Outbreak definition
The occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area, or season
Endemic
Constant presence of a disease within an area or population
Usual occurrence, not outbreak
Epidemic
Increased occurrence of disease in excess of normal expectation
Similar to outbreak definition, but typically refers to a larger area and/or longer timeframe
Pandemic
Epidemic spread across a large region
Multiple countries or continents
Surveillance
The continuous, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data
Data is collected for action!
Active surveillance
Case-finding through proactice investigation, employing data from health care providers and centers, health records, lab data, public surveys
Detects cases that would otherwise be unreported*
Passive surveillance
Cases identified through routine reporting
Detects cases reaching the healthcare system
Reportable diseases
It is a legal requirement for physicians to report
Supports rapid identification of new outbreaks and trends, with prompt action taken
Specified by criteria including incidence, severity, outbreak potential, costs, changing patterns
Reporting has a crucial role in prevention
Modes of transmission
Airborne Waterborne Foodborne Droplet Contact Parenteral Sexual Vector-borne
Vector
An animal (typically insect) carrying an infectious pathogen to a human host
Reservoir
Carries an infection that can infect humans
Doesn’t actually transmit it to the human host though
Fomite
A non-living object that can be contaminated with and transmit and infectious pathogen
Immunoprophylaxis
Vaccination or immunoglobulin
Time sensitive
Chemoprophylaxis
Antibiotics or antivirals
Time sensitive
