Epidemiology Terms
What is Efficacy?
The ability of a program to produce a desired effect among those who participate
What is Case?
A person in a population who has been identified as having a particular disease
What is Active Carrier?
Individual who has been exposed to and harbors a disease-causing organism; even after recovery phase
What is Direct Transmission?
Immediate transfer of infectious agent from one person to another (physical contact)
What is Primary Prevention?
Preventing a disease or disorder before it happens [health promotion, health education, health protection]
What is Epidemic?
Occurrence of cases of an illness in community “outbreak”
What is Primary case?
The first disease case in the population
What is Healthy or Passive Carrier?
Individual who has been exposed to and harbors a pathogen though is asymptomatic
What is Indirect Transmission?
Transferred or carried by some intermediate item (air, water, food, fecal matter)
What is Active Primary Prevention?
Behavioral change on individuals part (exercise or reduce dietary fat intake)
What is Pandemic?
Epidemic affecting the population of an extensive region or country
What is Secondary case?
Infected from primary case and become ill after a disease has been introduced into a population
What is Convalescent Carrier?
Individual who harbors a pathogen yet is still infectious during recovery phase
What is Vehicle-borne Transmission?
Fomites, food, or water that acts as a conveyance
What is Passive Primary Prevention?
Does not require behavior change (eating vitamin-enriched foods or drinking water)
What is Endemic?
Ongoing presence of a disease in a community
What is Suspect case?
An individual or group who has all of the signs and symptoms of a disease; not diagnosed yet
What is Incubatory Carrier?
Exposed to and harbors a pathogen within the beginning stages including symtoms
What is Biological Transmission?
Pathogen undergoes change before being transmitted to a new host
What is Secondary Prevention?
Early health screening and detection activities used to identify disease
What is Fomite?
An object that can harbor an infectious disease capable of transmission
What is Index case?
The first disease case brought to the attention of epidemiologist
What is Intermittent Carrier?
Exposed to and harbors a pathogen; able to spread disease in different places
What is the types of Vector-borne transmission?
Mechanical transmission and Biological transmission
What is Tertiary Prevention?
Limiting any disability by providing rehabilitation; to block off from advance to excessive care