Public Health : Communicable diseases/ Outbreak control Flashcards
What is health protection? What is public health?
-Protection of people from infectious diseases and preventing harm from non-communicable environmental hazards involving chemicals, poisons or radiation
- preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized efforts of society”.
What are communicable diseases?
How can they be transmitted?
-Illnesses that result from infection by microscopic microorganisms e.g. virus
- From one person to another
- But not all infectious diseases spread directly from one person to another
How does the top ten causes of death differ between HIC and LICs?
-Communicable diseases are a greater cause of deaths in LICs than HICs … vice-versa
What is epidemiology?
How is the application of epidemiology used?
-The study of the distribution and determinants of disease
-Used to control health problems
What are the components of epidemiology triangle?
Define:
1. Sporadic
2. Endemic
3. Hyperendemic
4. Epidemic
5. Pandemic
- Occasional cases at irregular intervals e.g. Typhoid or paratyphoid in UK
- Persistent, low or moderate level of disease e.g. malaria, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis in Asia
- A higher persistent level e.g. Hepatitis B & C in some communities/ countries & regions
- Occurrence exceeds the expected level for a given time period e.g Ebola outbreak in West Africa
- Epidemic spreading over several countries or continents e.g. Influenza pandemic 1918
What is the chain of infection?
What is our aim to help prevent infections?
What are the different stages of infection?
What is the incubation period and infectious period?
-Time interval between initial contact with an infectious agent and the appearance of the first symptom of a disease
-Time during which an infectious agent may be transferred directly or indirectly from an infected person to another person.
What is susceptibility and resistance?
-Various biological mechanisms present barriers to the invasion and multiplication of infectious agents and to damage by their toxic products
>Inherent resistance
>Immunity as a result of previous infection
>Immunisation
How do we respond to a case?
- Isolate the case and implement universal precautions
- Report (notify) to public health authority
- Obtain laboratory confirmation of infection
- Determine source of acquisition - travel history
- Identify & protect vulnerable contacts - consider immunisation or immunoglobulin
What is an outbreak?
-Occurrence of health events that exceed what we would expect in a given place and time.
What is an infectious disease outbreak?
- Two or more people with the same disease or symptoms or the same infectious agent isolated from a diagnostic sample who are linked through common exposure, personal characteristics, time or location
Or
- A greater than expected rate of infection compared with the usual background rate for a particular place and time
What are the steps to an outbreak investigation?
- Recognise the problem
- Confirm the diagnosis e.g. symptoms
- Agree a case definition : e.g. 2 or more cases of diarrhoea in 24hr period from 4th February 2017 who attended christening.
- Identify the at risk population e.g. guests at christening
- Case finding : locate others exposed, contact EHO,review lab reports, Healthcare workers….
How would you draw an epidemic curve?
-Occurrence over time
How do you calculate relative risk?
What does relative risk tell you?
-There is an association with eating something and it making you feel sick.
