Disease Detectives Definitions

prognosis

a medically informed prediction or forecast of the likely outcome, course, or recovery timeline of a disease, injury, or medical condition

Disease

Infection that results in signs (objective) and symptoms (subjective).

Opportunistic disease

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

Nosocomial disease

An infection that is 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.

Latent period

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

Asymptomatic

Displays no signs or symptoms, but is infected and can carry the disease

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

The number of people infected, divided by the 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 disease

Index case

Also known as “patient zero”; the first case of a disease in a specific setting.

Etiology

The cause of a disease.

Pathology

The science of the study and diagnosis of disease and injury.

Determinant

Any factor that brings about change in a health condition.

Herd immunity

When a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to a disease such that the entire population is protected

Fulminant

A sudden and severe onset.

Quarantine

The separation of well people who may have been exposed to monitor for symptoms of illness.

Isolation

The separation of people with the illness to prevent transmission to susceptible people.