INVESTIGATION OF EPIDEMICS Flashcards
○ Disease occurs regularly and at a more or less constant level
Endemic
o Occurs in isolated cases
Sporadic
○ Unusual occurrence of a disease
Epidemic
○ epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and are usually affecting a large number of people
Pandemic
○ Disease occurring in an animal population in a more or less constant level
Enzootic
○ Disease outbreak in animal population
Epizootic
○ Is an epizootic (an outbreak of an infectious disease of animals) that spreads across a large region (for example a continent), or even worldwide
Panzootic
Collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working nationally, globally, and locally to obtain optimal health for people, animals, and environment.
One health approach
A = Agent (causing agent)
H = Host (people)
E = Environment
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRIADS
○ List of specific criteria used to decide whether a person has the disease of concern or not
○ Not the same as clinical diagnosis
Epidemiologic Case
Establishes consistent criteria that enable epidemiologic investigations to proceed before definitive diagnoses are available
Epidemiologic Case
● The epidemic should be a characterized by____________________ using the criteria in the case definition
time, place, and person
○ Useful in knowing the type of exposure and the time when the affected persons were exposed
Epidemic Time Curve
Epidemic time curve has a prolonged, irregular pattern (propagated outbreak)
Person-to-Person Spread
● Geographic clustering of cases may provide important information about the epidemic
PLACE
Map showing the geographic location of people with a specific attribute, for example, cases of an infectious disease
Spot map
Limited use because these maps show only the number of cases (numerator),, and no number of persons in the area (denominator)
Spot map
● Characteristics of persons affected that may help clarify the problem and its cause
PERSON
○ The person (index or primary case) or vehicle (e.g., food, water) that initially brought the infection into the affected community
Source of Infection
○ Movement of the transmission of pathogens from a reservoir to a susceptible host
Mode of Transmission
○ Movement of the transmission of pathogens from a reservoir to a susceptible host
Mode of Transmission
○ Movement of the transmission of pathogens from a reservoir to a susceptible host
Mode of Transmission
Respiratory, fecal-oral, vector-bone, skin-tos-skin, exchange of serum or body fluids, fomites
Mode of Transmission
○ How the infection is carried from source to the infected individuals
Pattern of Spread
○ Common, efficient way of testing hypotheses
Case-Control Studies
- persons without the disease
Control
- persons with the disease
Case
○ Modification of the environment
○ Removing the pathogenic agent
Sanitation
(removing the human source from the population)
Quarantine
(removing susceptible people from source)
Evacuation
○ Putting a barrier to the infection such as vaccines or drugs (e.g., antimalarial drugs)
Prophylaxis
○ Performed for infected persons so that they do not spread the disease to others
Diagnosis and Treatment
Hierarchy of controls (ESEAP)
Elimination
Sibstitution
Engineering Controls
Administrative Controls
PPE
○ To detect subsequent outbreaks
○ Evaluating effect of control measures
Follow-up surveillance
