Case Concepts
The first disease case in a population
What is primary case?
Cause of the disease
What is an agent?
An inanimate 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 a fomite?
The direct and immediate transfer of an agent from a host/reservoir to a susceptible host
What is direct transmission?
The effort to prevent a disease or disorder before it happens
What is primary prevention?
A person in a population who has been identified as having a particular disease, disorder, injury, or condition
What is a case?
A human or animal that is susceptible to the disease
What is a host?
An invertebrate animal that transmits infection by conveying the infectious agent from one host to another
What is a vector?
A 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?
Requires behavior change on the part of the individual that prevents a disease or disorder before it happens
What is active primary prevention?
This ensures that cases are consistently diagnosed, regardless or where or when they were identified and who diagnosed the case
What is a case definition?
The surroundings and conditions external to the human or animal that cause or allow disease transmission
What is an environment?
An infectious organism in vertebrate animals that can be transmitted to humans through direct contact, a fomite, or a vector
What is a zoonosis?
The transfer of bacteria or viruses on dust particles or on small respiratory droplets that may become aerosolized when individuals sneeze, cough, laugh, or exhale
What is airborne transmission?
Does not require behavior change on the part of the individual to prevent a disease or disorder from occurring
What is passive primary prevention?
The first disease case brought to the attention of the epidemiologist
What is index case?
Incubation period, life expectancy of the host or the pathogen, and duration of the course of the illness or condition
What is time?
Also called passive carrier, an individual who has been exposed to and harbors a pathogen but has not become ill or shown any of the symptoms of the disease
What is a healthy carrier?
A vector-borne disease transmission that occur when the pathogen, so as to spread, uses a host as a mechanism for a ride, for nourishment, or as part of a physical transfer process
What is mechanical 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?
An individual who has all the signs and symptoms of a disease or condition but has not been diagnosed as having the disease or has the cause of the symptoms connected to a suspected pathogen
What is a suspect case?
Based on infectious disease model and is useful in using the interaction and interdependence of the agent, host, environment, and time
What is the epidemiology triangle?
An individual who has been exposed to and harbors a pathogen, is in the beginning stages of the disease, is displaying symptoms, and has the ability to transmit the disease
What is an incubatory carrier?
The transfer of a pathogen to a susceptible host by a vector, with pathogen undergoing reproduction, developmental changes, or both while in the vector
What is biological transmission?
Efforts to limit any disability by providing rehabilitation where disease, injury, or a disorder has already occurred and caused damage
What is tertiary prevention?