Case(s)
Case definition
A set of standard criteria for deciding whether a person has a particular disease or health-related condition, by specifying clinical criteria and limitations on time, place, and person.
Carrier
person who carries a pathogen usually without signs or symptoms of disease, but who can still spread the disease
Modes of transmission
contact (direct or indirect) droplet, airborne, common vehicle, vector
primary prevention
Efforts to prevent an injury or illness from ever occurring.
Epidemiology definition
A field of science that studies health problems within populations
Primary case
the first disease case in the population
Active carrier
Individual has been exposed and has been harboring disease-causing pathogen; may or may not be recovered
direct transmission
Transmission of blood or body fluids through touching (including shaking hands), kissing, coughing, sneezing, and talking.
active primary prevention
requires behavior change on the part of the individual
Analytic Epidemiology
investigation of the determinants of disease
Secondary case
a person who acquires the disease from exposure to a primary case
Healthy or passive carriers
carriers are those who never experience symptoms despite being infected
indirect transmission
Transmission of blood or body fluids through contact with an intermediate contaminated object such as a razor, extractor, nipper, or an environmental surface.
Passive primary prevention
does not require behavior change on the part of the individual
Descriptive Epidemiology
aims to describe the distributions of diseases and determinants.
Suspect case
individual who has signs of disease but not diagnosed
convalescent carrier
a person who recovers from a disease but continues to be a carrier
vector-borne transmission
the spread of certain disease due to the bite of a vector
secondary prevention
Efforts to limit the effects of an injury or illness that you cannot completely prevent.
Epidemic
a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
Index case
the first patient found in an epidemiological investigation
incubatory carrier
those who can transmit the agent during the incubation period before clinical illness begins
mechanical transmission
arthropod carries pathogen on feet
tertiary prevention
actions taken to contain damage once a disease or disability has progressed beyond its early stages
pandemic
A disease prevalent over a whole country or the world.