Week 3 - Epidemiology and Public Health Flashcards
What does epidemiology mean?
The study of the distribution of disease states and determinantes of health
What is a determinant of health?
A risk factors, risk markers— associated with social, biological, and psychological elements of health
What are some of the modes of sexual transmission?
Sexual contact
Sexual intercourse, oral, vaginal, anal, sex toys
Direct blood to blood
Occupational i.e. needle stick
Blood transfusions
Mother to baby (vertical transmission)
Percutaneous (sharing injecting equipment e.g. tattoo gun)
Traditional practices, e.g. circumcision
What does “R0” mean?
The number of new infections produced by an infected individual during the duration of the infection
What does “B” mean?
The infectiousness of a disease
What does “U” mean?
The rate of partner change
What does “D” mean?
The duration of infection
What does ‘ROT’ stand for?
Rate of transmission
What are some factors that can increase the infectiousness of a disease?
Released exposure of a susceptible contact to infection.
Antibiotic resistance
Co-infections
Genital inflammation from another STI in either partner
What can reduce the infectiousness of STIs?
Condom use
Treatment
What are risk markers for STIs?
Risk markers reflect higher or lower occurrences of STIs but have no causal connection.
Include factors like age, cultural background, marital status, occupation, and socio-economic status.
In terms of contact tracing, what is an ‘index’
The original person identified with an infection
In terms of contract tracing, what is a ‘contact’
A person exposed to the index
In terms of contact tracing, what is a ‘source’
A person who index acquired infection from
List the notifiable diseases.
Gonorrhoea
HIV
Syphilis
Hep A,B, and C
Chlamydia
