One Health: Epidemiology

Case

an animal or human in a population or study group that has a particular disease, health disorder, or condition under inspection

case definition

a set of uniform criteria used to define a case or instance of disease for public health surveillance

cause

factor that directly influences the occurrence of disease

disease

illness or loss of healthre

reportable disease

a disease that is reported to the relevant health departments when an animal or person is diagnosed with a particular disease

enzootic

animal

constant presence of a disease or infectious agent within a given geographic area or population group

endemic

human

constant presence of a disease or infectious agent within a given geographic area or population group

epidemic

human

occurrence of more cases of a disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group over a particular period of time; an outbreak

epizootic

animal

occurrence of more cases of a disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group over a particular period of time; an outbreak

epidemiology

the study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems

herd immunity

indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or developed immunity from prior infection/exposure

host

animal or person that can be infected by an infectious agentin

incubation period

time interval between when an animal or a person is exposed to an infectious agent and when they begin to develop symptoms

infection

the invasion and growth of organisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi) in the body that can grow disease

types of epidemiological studies

can be observational studies where one observes the course of a disease

can be clinical trials that are used to evaluate preventive or therapeutic interventions

epidemiological studies

research into the distribution of disease, factors influencing illness, and measuring disease incidence and prevalence to inform prevention efforts and health policy

pandemic

human

epidemic that occurs over a widespread area, such as several countries and usually affects a large proportion of the population

panzootic

animal

epidemic that occurs over a widespread area, such as several countries and usually affects a large proportion of the population

reservoir

habitat in which an infectious agent normally lives, grows, and multiples; reservoirs can include humans, animals, and environments

sample

selected subset of a population

screening test

test conducted for the purpose of identifying a disease in an animal or a person who does not currently have signs or symptoms of the disease

surveillance

systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data on an ongoing basis, to gain knowledge of the pattern of disease occurrence and potential in a community that can be used to control and prevent disease in that community

transmission of infection

process by which an infectious agent is spread to a susceptible host

vector

a living organism that carries an agent from a reservoir to a susceptible host