Terminology Flashcards
What is a cluster?
An aggregation of cases over a particular period closely grouped in time and space, regardless of whether the number is more than the expected number
What is an outbreak?
More cases of a particular disease than expected in a given area or among a specialized group of people over a particular period of time.
What is an epidemic?
a disease where large numbers of people over a wide geographical area are affected
What is a pandemic?
An epidemic occurring over several countries or continents and affecting a large proportion of the population.
What is a surveillance?
The systematic and ongoing collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data.
What is a plague?
A serious, potentially life-threatening infectious disease that is usually transmitted to humans by the bites of rodent fleas.
What are the three types of plagues?
bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic.
What is a vector?
An animal that transmits disease
What is a fomite?
A physical object that serves to transmit an infectious agent from person to person
What is a risk?
The probability that an individual will be affected by, or die from, an illness or injury within a stated time or age span.
What is a zoonosis?
An infectious disease that is transmissible from animals to humans.
What is an incubation period?
Time in between when a person comes into contact with a pathogen and when they first show symptoms or signs of disease.
What is an endemic disease?
a disease that is present at a continuous level throughout a population/geographic area;
What is the incidence?
the number of new instances of disease in a population over a given time period. It is expressed as “X cases/Y population/ Z time”
What is the prevalence?
the number of affected persons in the population at any given point in time. It is expressed as “X cases/Y population”
