Disease Detectives

Disease

infection that results in signs and symptoms

Opportunistic disease

A disease that causes sickness when given the opportunity of a damaged or weakened immune system

Nosocomial infection

An infection acquired in a hospital

Iatrogenic disease

an illness that is unintentionally caused by medication or a physician

Chronic infection

An infection where the agent is continuously present and detectable

Latent infection

an infection where the agent is continuously present, but can remain dormant before reactivation

Incubation period

time in between when a person comes into contact with an agent of disease and when they first show symptoms or signs of disease

Asymptomatic

displays no signs or symptoms but is still infected with the disease

Latent period

time in between when a person comes into contact with a pathogen and when they become infected

Susceptibility

to what extent a member of a population is able to resist infection

Susceptible individual

A member of a population at risk of becoming infected by a disease

Pathogenicity

the property of causing disease following infection

Virulence

the property of causing severe disease

Infectivity

the property of establishing infection following exposure

morbidity

the rate of disease in a population

mortality

the rate of death in a population

Case fatality rate

the rate of death due to a disease in the diseased population

prevalence

the number of existing cases of disease in a given population

point prevalence

the number of existing cases of disease in a given population at a given point in time

period prevalence

the total number of cases of disease in a given population over a period of time

incidence

the rate of new cases of disease in a given population over a period of time

attack rate

number of people infected divided by total sample. There should be a high attack rate in those exposed and a low attack rate in those unexposed

person-time

the sum of the time during which each individual in a population was at risk for a disease

index case

patient zero; first case of a disease in a public setting

etiology

the cause of disease

pathology

the science of the study and diagnosis of disease and injur

determinantfu

any factor that brings about change in a health condition

herd immunity

A critical proportion of a population is immune to a disease such that the entire population is protected

fulminant

a sudden and sevee