Epidemiology Terms
A field of science that studies health problems within populations
What is Epidemiology ?
When an increase in the number of cases of disease occurs above what is normally expected for a given time and place.
What is Epidemic?
The direct and immediate transfer of an agent from a host/reservoir to a susceptible host.
What is Direct transmission?
Effort to prevent a disease or disorder before it happens.
What is Primary Prevention?
A person who has been diagnosed with a health-related state or event.
What is Case ?
Study that involves answering the questions: Why and How.
What is Analytic Epidemiology ?
An epidemic affecting or attacking the population of an extensive region, country, or continent.
What is Pandemic?
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?
Behavior change on the part of the individual that prevents a disease or disorder before it happens
What is Active primary prevention?
The first disease case in the population.
What is Primary case?
Provides a description of the who, what, when, and where aspects of health-related states or events in a population.
What is Descriptive Epidemiology ?
The ongoing, usual, or constant presence of a disease in a community or among a group of people.
What is Endemic?
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?
Activities aimed at health screening and early detection in order to improve the likelihood of cure and reduce the chance of disability or death.
What is Secondary prevention?
Those persons who become infected from contact with the primary case after the disease has been introduced into the population.
What is Secondary case?
A tool that scientists use for addressing the three components that contribute to the spread of disease
What is Epidemiology triangle?
Epidemics that arise from a specific source.
What is Common-source?
Transfer of a disease to a human by a vector.
What is Vector-borne transmission?
Does not require behavior change on the part of the individual in order 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?
An infectious organism in vertebrate animals that can be transmitted to human
What is Zoonosis ?
When victims of a common-source epidemic have person-to-person contact with others and spread the disease, further propagating the health problem.
What is Mixed epidemic?
Transfer of a disease via a particular vehicle
What is Vehicle-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?
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?