Intro to Public health

Question 1

What is health protection

Answer 1

the part of public health that protects the population from infection and environmental hazards

Question 2

What are the three domains of public health

Answer 2

health protection - infectious diseases, radiation etc.
health improvement - inequalities, education, housing etc.
improving services - clinical effectiveness, efficiency

Question 3

sporadic

Answer 3

occasional cases occurring irregularly

Question 4

endemic

Answer 4

persistent background level of occurrence (low to moderate levels)

Question 5

epidemic

Answer 5

occurrence in excess of the expected level during a given time period

Question 6

pandemic

Answer 6

epidemic occurring in or spreading over several countries, on a global scale

Question 7

What is the epidemiological triad

Answer 7

host - poetically susceptible individual

environment - the external factors that affect potential disease transmission

agent - the organism that causes the infection.

Question 8

What is the epidemiological traids facilitating factors

Answer 8

host - age, nutrition, immune status

environment - climate, sanitation, overcrowding

agent - virulence, infectiousness, drug resistance

Question 9

control measures associated

Answer 9

host - immunisation, goof nutrition and general health

environment - barriers, hygiene measures like hand washing

agent - treat cases, isolate cases, good prescribing

Question 10

chain of infection

Answer 10

• susceptible host
• infectious agent
• reservoir (where infectious agent normally lives and multiplies)
• portal of exit
• mode of transmission
• portal of entry

Question 11

methods of breaking the chain

Answer 11

host - immunisation, treatment of underlying diseases
infectious agent - antimicrobial stewardship
reservoir - medical treatment of infected person, clean water
portal of exit - covering mouth when sneezing
made of transmission - isolation of infected person, sterilisation of infected person
portal of entry - catheter care, bed nets

Question 12

reproductive number

Answer 12

the number of cases one case generates on average over the course of its infectious period, in an otherwise uninfected population

Question 13

Latent period

Answer 13

time between exposure and infection

Question 14

incubation period

Answer 14

time between infection and onset of symptoms

Question 15

infectious period

Answer 15

the period from the first evident manifestation of an infectious disease to the final host reaction

Question 16

who do you notify if you have a notifiable disease

Answer 16

consultant in public health (Scotland)

proper officer of the local authority (England)

Question 17

What is an outbreak

Answer 17

two or more people who experience a similar illness or confirmed infection and are linked by a common factor
OR
when the observed number of cases unaccountably exceeds the expected number for a given place and time

Question 18

Outbreak management

Answer 18

• Confirm if it is an outbreak
• Establish info on causative organism
• Implement control measures
• Identify source (and remove if possible)
• Ensure all cases treated appropriately
• Case finding
• Surveillance
• Learn lessons for future