CS L3

Flashcards covering key concepts related to infectious disease control, including definitions and principles.

Epidemic disease

A disease acquired by many hosts in a given area in a short time.

Pandemic disease

A worldwide epidemic.

Primary prevention

Actions taken prior to the onset of disease to remove the possibility of its occurrence.

Passive surveillance

Monitoring based on readily available data reported by healthcare providers.

Active surveillance

Involves periodic field visits to identify new cases of disease.

Basic reproduction rate (R0)

A measure of how many people each sick person will infect on average.

Infectivity

The ability of an agent to infect a host.

Virulence

The ability of an agent to cause disease, often measured by the severity of the disease it causes.

Quarantine vs Isolation?

Quarantine: Restriction of movement for well individuals who may have been exposed to a contagious disease.

Isolation: Separation of ill persons with contagious diseases from those who are healthy.

EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunization)

A WHO initiative to provide universal access to routine immunizations.

Define infection and IF diseases

Infection → when a micro-organism is present in a host where it is not normally found

IF disease → when this causes infection

Notifiable diseases

Diseases that must be reported to health authorities when diagnosed.

Cholera, TB and E.coli are examples of?

Bacteria

HIV, HPV and Hepatitis are examples of ?

Viruses

Malaria and Giardia are examples of ?

Protozoa

Helminths and Fungi are..?

Multicellular / Metazoa

What defines the 4 types of cases ?

Index → first case identified in pop

Primary → the case that brings the infection into a population

Secondary → infected by primary

Tertiary → infected by secondary

How does exposure look for clinical and subclinical cases ?

What type of disease is most likely occurring like this?

A point source infection (ex. a single meal had by many people)

What type of infection does this curve represent ?

Continuous source - not confined to one period / point of time

What type of infection does this curve represent ?

Propagated → not a common source but HUMAN TO HUMAN transmission ex. Mumps

What are the characterises of the factors of the EPI triangle ?

What does the adequate chain of transmission ?

What does the adequate chain of transmission look like with intervention strategies ?

Name 4 limitations of passive surveillance

• Dependant on many actors

• Inadequate lab facilities

• limited access to health facilities

• local outbreaks may be missed

Name pros and cons of active surveillance ?

Pros:

Reporting is more accurate

Local outbreaks are generally identified

Cons:

More difficult to develop for routine work, always different

More expensive to maintain

Potentially invasive of privacy

What actions should be taken when a notifiable disease is in Group A1&2?

• Isolation of patient

• Examination

• Observation and quarantine of contacts

What measures should be taken for a Group B1 and B2?

• All measures expect quarantine of contacts

B2: Only expulsion from workplace

Can the government enforce measures for Group C diseases?

No

Give 2 examples of diseases that are in Group A2?

Small pox, Ebola

Examples of Group B1 and B2 diseases

Examples of Group C diseases

In what phases of disease is primary, secondary or tertiary prevention most appropriate?

Primary prevention is achieved by two things, what are they?

Health promotion and specific protection

Ex: EPI, Vaccinations or use of prophylactic medicines / education (for non vaccine preventable diseases)

Describe the two main factors of secondary prevention and name 3 diseases for which screening is most important in prevention

Screening and treatment

Ex. Cervical, breast cancer and rubella or TB