Epidemics, Endemics, & Pandemics
When the occurrence of a disease or illness exceeds the normal amount in a region.
What is an epidemic?
An individual who has been diagnosed with a particular disease or condition.
What is a case?
The place where a pathogen can live or grow.
What is a reservoir?
The transfer of infectious diseases from one person to another through physical contact.
What is direct transmission?
The prevention of diseases before it occurs.
What is primary prevention?
An epidemic that has become more widespread as it attacks a larger region or continent and affects a large number of individuals.
What is a pandemic?
The first disease case in a population.
What is a primary case?
An organism that can transmit disease from one host to another.
What is a vector?
The transfer of an infectious disease through an intermediate item such as water, food, or air currents.
What is an indirect transmission?
A behavior change in the individual that can help prevent a disease from occurring.
What is active primary prevention?
When a disease has an ongoing presence or is native to a specific region or group of people.
What is an endemic?
The first case that is brought to the epidemiologist's attention.
What is an index case?
An object that can carry an infectious agent and is capable of transmitting it.
What is a fomite?
The transmission of infectious diseases through dust particles or droplets that can carry the disease to the host.
What is airborne transmission?
Prevention strategy that does not require a behavior change from the individual.
What is passive primary prevention?
An epidemic that comes from a specific source.
What is a common-source epidemic?
The severity of an illness.
What is case severity?
Animals are able to transmit disease to humans.
What is zoonosis?
The transmission of disease to a human by a vector.
What is vector-borne transmission?
Health screenings and early detection are used to identify the disease and help prevent the illness from progressing.
What is secondary prevention?
An epidemic where the disease spreads from one infected person to another.
What is a propagated epidemic?
An individual who has not yet been diagnosed, but possesses all the signs and symptoms of the disease.
What is a suspect case?
An individual who carries a pathogen and is still infectious even in the recovery phase.
What is a convalescent carrier?
The transmission of an infectious disease through an inanimate object such as drinking contaminated water or needles.
What is vehicle-borne transmission?
Providing rehabilitation services when needed in order to stop the progression of a disease that has already caused damage.
What is tertiary prevention?