L-35 Flashcards
What are the 5 stages of infectious disease?
- Incubation ( no signs or symptoms)
- Prodromal period ( vague, general symptoms)
- Illness ( most severe signs and symptoms)
- Decline (declining signs and symptoms)
- Convalescence (no signs or symptoms)
What stage of infectious disease is the most infectious stage?
The illness stage
What virus causes the common cold?
Rhinovirus
What are the details of the rhinovirus?
- ssRNA
- no envelope
- prefers to grow at 32 degrees
How long is the incubation period of the rhinovirus?
16-20 hours
How long is the prodromal period of the rhinovirus?
1 day
How long is the illness stage of the rhinovirus?
7-10 days
How long is the decline stage of the rhinovirus infection?
1 week
How long is the convalescence stage of the rhinovirus infection
Less than 1 week
What is epidemiology?
The study of disease transmission
What are the 6 steps of the chain of infection?
- causative agent
- reservoir or source of infection
- the means of exit
- the mode of transmission
- the portal of entry
- person at risk
What is the causative agent in the chain of infection?
The microorganism which has the ability to cause disease
What is the reservoir or source of infection in the chain of infection?
Where microorganisms can live and thrive ( could be a person, animal, object, food or water
What is the means of exit in the chain of infection?
Describes the way the microorganism leaves the reservoir/ body
What is the mode of transmission in the chain of infection?
Describes how microorganisms are transmitted from one person to another ( via hands, object, through air, bodily fluid contact)
What is the portal of entry in the chain of transmission?
How the infection enters an individual (breathed in or entering via wound)
What is the person at risk in the chain of infection?
Describes the person who is vulnerable to infection (young, old, immune compromised)
What does mortality mean?
The incidence of death in a population
What does morbidity mean?
The incidence of disease inclusive of fatal and non fatal
What does incidence mean?
The number of new cases of the disease in a given period of time
What does prevalence mean?
Total number of new and existing cases in a population in a given time
What does endemic mean?
the amount of a particular disease that is usually present in a community (also known as baseline)
What does sporadic mean?
A disease that occurs infrequently and irregularly
What does epidemic mean?
An increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area
