Module 14: Communicable Diseases

Question 1

Case

Answer 1

an individual with a particular disease

Question 2

infectious disease

Answer 2

disease transmitted by pathogenic organisms

Question 3

communicable diseases

Answer 3

any infectious disease transmitted from animal to animal, animal to human, or human to human

Question 4

zoonotic diseases

Answer 4

infectious diseases of non-human animals that can cause disease when transmitted to humans (animal = zoonotic disease)

Question 5

Latent period

Answer 5

time interval between when you have acquired the infection and when you become infectious to others

Question 6

Incubation period

Answer 6

time interval between infection and first signs and symptoms of disease
- long incubation periods are hard to contact trace
- folks can expose others

Question 7

Latent and Incubation period

Answer 7

• Short latent, long incubation will result in a lot of spread because people will not know that they are infected
• Long latent, short incubation –> opposite (i.e. SARS was not able to spread until there were symptoms).

Question 8

Epidemiological triad

Answer 8

Agent = what causes the infection
- bacteria, virus, parasite
Host = age, sex, physical/emotional health, immune status
Environment = physical, biologic, climate, sociopolitical, economic

Vector = organism that transmits the infection

Question 9

Chain of infection

Answer 9

Infectious agent –> reservoirs –> portal of exit –> means of transmission –> portal of entry –> susceptible host

Question 10

How do we break the chain of infection?

Answer 10

• Kill pathogen (antibiotics / antivirals)
• Eliminate reservoir (water, sewage, rat/tick control)
• Prevent transmission: wash hands, quarantine, condoms, PPE, vampire sneeze
• increase resistance of host by immunization

Question 11

___ is the virus that causes AIDs

Answer 11

HIV

Question 12

What are the modes of transmission of HIV?

Answer 12

1. Blood to blood contact
2. Indirect contact through the use of needles and works
3. Breast milk or bodily fluids (vertical transmission from mother to baby, pregnancy, food, and birth
4. Unprotected sex (#1 mode transmission) –> especially in heterosexual sex

Question 13

disease control

Answer 13

reducing both incidence and prevalence of a disease (acceptable level)

Question 14

elimination

Answer 14

incidence –> 0

Question 15

eradication

Answer 15

termination of all cases, transmission, and complete elimination of the disease-causing agents

Question 16

Emerging infectious diseases

Answer 16

infectious diseases or have threatened to increase in the near future