Case Concepts
A blank is a person in a population who has been identified as having a particular disease, disorder, injury, or condition.
What is a case?
Organism or substance such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, or parasites that is capable of producing disease.
What is pathogen?
An inanimate (nonliving) object such as a piece of clothing, a door handle, or a utensil that can harbor an infectious agent and is capable of being a means of transmission.
What is fomite?
Transfer of a disease via a particular vehicle—for example, needle use.
What is Vehicle Borne Transmission?
Preventing a disease or disorder before it happens. (Health promotion, health education, and health protection are three main facets of primary prevention)
What is primary prevention?
The first disease case in the population.
What is primary case?
The cause of the disease.
What is agent?
An invertebrate animal (e.g., tick, mite, mosquito, bloodsucking fly) that transmits infection by conveying the infectious agent from one host to another.
What is vector?
The uninterrupted and immediate transfer of an infectious agent from one person to another.
What is direct transmission?
Behavior change on the part of the individual that prevents a disease or disorder before it happens (e.g., exercising, not smoking, reducing dietary fat intake).
What is active primary prevention?
A person who becomes infected from contact with the primary case after the disease has been introduced into the population.
What is secondary case?
Human or an animal that is susceptible to the disease.
What is host?
The habitat (living or nonliving) in or on which an infectious agent lives, grows, and multiplies, and on which it depends for its survival in nature.
What is resorvoir?
Disease that results when an agent is transferred or carried by some intermediate item, organism, means, or process to a susceptible host.
What is indirect transmission?
Does not require behavior change on the part of the individual to prevent a disease or disorder from occurring (e.g., eating vitamin- enriched foods, drinking fluoridated water).
What is passive primary prevention?
An individual (or a group of individuals) who has all the signs and symptoms of a disease or condition but has not been diagnosed as having the disease or had the cause of the symptoms connected to a suspected pathogen.
What is suspect case?
Includes those surroundings and conditions external to the human or animal that cause or allow disease transmission.
What is environment?
An infectious organism in vertebrate animals (e.g., rabies virus, Bacillus anthracis, Ebola virus, influenza virus) that can be transmitted to humans through direct contact, a fomite, or a vector
What is zoonosis?
Occurs when droplets or dust particles carry the pathogen to the host and cause infection (e.g., respiratory viruses, pertussis, pneumococcal pneumonia, diphtheria, rubella).
What is airborne transmission?
Activities aimed at health screening and early detection to improve the likelihood of cure and reduce the chance of disability or death.
What is secondary prevention?
The first disease case brought to the attention of the epidemiologist. (Not always the primary case)
What is index case?
Represents the incubation period, life expectancy of the host or the pathogen, and duration of the course of the illness or condition.
What is time?
Anonliving intermediary such as a clothing, food, or water that conveys the infectious agent from its reservoir to a susceptible host.
What is Vehicle?
Transfer of a disease to a human by a vector.
What is vector borne transmission?
Efforts to limit disability by providing rehabilitation where disease, injury, or a disorder has already occurred and caused damage.
What is tertiary prevention?