Epidemiology
A field of science that studies health problems within populations.
What is epidemiology?
A person in a population who has been identified as having a disease, disorder, injury, or condition.
What is a case?
An inanimate object that can harbor an infectious agent.
What is a fomite?
Where a pathogen exits.
What is the portal of exit?
Preventing a disease or disorder before it happens.
What is primary prevention?
Involves characterization of the distribution of health-related states or events.
What is descriptive epidemiology?
An individual infected as a result of contact with a primary case.
An invertebrate animal that transmits infection by conveying the infectious agent from one host to another.
What is a vector?
Where pathogen enters.
What is the portal of entry?
Requires behavioral change vs does not require behavior change on the part of the individual.
What is the difference between active and passive primary prevention?
Involves finding and quantifying associations, testing hypotheses, and identifying causes of health-related states or events.
What is analytic epidemiology?
What is an index case?
An infectious organism in vertebrate animals that can be transmitted to humans through direct contact, vomited, or vector.
What is zoonosis?
Direct transmission and indirect transmission.
What are the two modes of transmission?
Aimed at the health screening and detection activities used to identify disease.
What is secondary prevention?
A sudden increase of disease above normally expected level within a community, population, or region.
What is an epidemic?
An individual who has signs and symptoms but has not been diagnosed.
What is a suspect case?
When a pathogen undergoes changes as part of the life cycle while within the host before being transmitted to a new host.
What is biological transmission?
The habitat in/on which an infectious agent lives, grows, and multiplies, and on which it depends for its survival in nature.
What is a reservoir?
Consists of limiting any disability by providing rehabilitation.
What is tertiary prevention?
Is ongoing, usual, and constant in a particular people or population.
What is an endemic?
A standard set of criteria that ensures cases are consistently diagnosed regardless of where or when identified.
What is a case definition?
When pathogen spreads using a host for a ride, nourishment, or as part of the physical transfer process.
What is mechanical transmission?
Infectious agent -> reservoir -> portal of exit -> mode of transmission -> portal of entry -> susceptible host -> (process repeats)
What is the chain of infection?
Any attempt to restore an afflicted person to a useful, productive, and satisfying lifestyle.
What is rehabilitation?