an inanimate substance (such as food, milk, dust, clothing, instrument) by which or on which an infectious agent passes from an infected to a susceptible host
what is a vehicle?
the transfer of disease from one individual to another
what is transmission?
aims to prevent disease or injury before it occurs, such as using education, safety measures like seatbelts, vaccinations, eliminating risk factors, etc
what is primary prevention?
the individual who first brings the disease into a group of people, school, community, or country
what is a primary case?
a person or animal that transmits a disease-causing organism to others
what is a carrier?
the way in which an infectious agent enters a susceptible host
what is portal of entry?
the spread of infectious agent from a reservoir to a susceptible host by direct contact or droplet spread
what is direct transmission?
identifying disease or injury in the earliest stage as to prevent it from worsening, such as using routine diagnostic tools like mammograms, blood pressure checks, etc
what is secondary prevention?
a disease prevalent over a large region, country, or the world
what is a pandemic?
a person or animal that transmits a disease-causing organism to others without being infected by the infectious agent
what is a passive carrier?
the way in which an infectious agent transfers from one susceptible host to another
what is modes of transmission?
the transfer of an infectious agent from a reservoir to a host by air particles, vehicles, or vectors
what is indirect transmission?
reduces the impact of an illness or injury by using treatments and rehabilitation
what is tertiary prevention?
the first documented case of disease in a population
what is an index case?
an individual that can transmit the infectious agent during the incubation period before clinical illness begins
what is an incubatory carrier?
a model typically used for the spread of disease that includes an infectious agent, host, and environment
what is the epidemiology triangle?
disease spread to humans through other organisms, typically blood feeding organisms like mosquitoes
what is vector-borne transmission?
aims to eliminate risk of injury or disease without an individual taking action (i.e. airbags, FDA bans on toxic substances)
what is passive primary prevention?
a generally sudden increase in number of cases of a disease above the normally expected level within a community, population, or region
what is an epidemic?
an occasionally infectious organism that sometimes carries infectious agents but not continuously
what is an intermittent carrier?
a sequence that describes the movement of an infectious agent
what is chain of infection?
the transfer of infectious agent from one infected host or a contaminated substance to a susceptible host
what is mechanical transmission?
aiming to prevent injury or disease by having an individual take action (i.e. getting daily exercise, choosing to wear bicycle helmets)
what is active primary prevention?
the constant presence or usual prevalence of a disease, generally at a low level, in a population within the confines of a geographic region
what is an endemic?
an individual whom has recovered from their clinical illness but is still capable of transmitting the infectious agent
what is a convalescent carrier?