1/27
Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms introduced in Week 1 of the Pandemics and Epidemics module.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
---|
No study sessions yet.
Pandemic
Spread of an infectious disease over a very wide area, typically affecting a large proportion of the population, with sustained human-to-human transmission and global impact.
Endemic
Constant or usual presence of a disease or infectious agent within a geographic area or population.
Epidemic
Occurrence of disease cases in a community or region above normal expectancy.
Epidemiological triangle
A framework that explains disease as the interaction of host, agent/pathogen, and environment.
Host
An organism in which a pathogen resides and to which transmission may occur.
Agent / Pathogen
Biological agent that causes disease (prions, viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, or helminths).
Environment (in epidemiology)
External factors that influence transmission, including living conditions, climate, and social factors.
Air droplet transmission
Spread of pathogens via respiratory droplets expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes; infection via inhalation or mucous membranes.
Faecal-oral transmission
Pathogens shed in feces and ingested, often through contaminated water or food.
Sexual transmission
Pathogens spread through sexual contact or exchange of sexual fluids.
Vector-borne transmission
Pathogens transmitted by a vector (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks) such as malaria or dengue.
Blood transmission
Pathogens transmitted through blood, including transfusions, needlestick injuries, or shared needles.
Vertical transmission
Pathogen transmission from mother to fetus/child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
PHEIC
Public Health Emergency of International Concern; a formal WHO designation under the International Health Regulations signaling a serious public health risk with international implications.
IHR (International Health Regulations)
A legally binding framework for managing cross-border health threats among WHO member states; originally adopted in 2007 with later amendments.
Prion
Infectious protein causing neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Creutzfeldt–Jakob) without nucleic acid.
Virus
A small infectious agent that replicates inside living cells; examples include influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
Bacteria
Single-celled microorganisms; some cause disease while others are beneficial.
Fungi
Organisms such as yeasts and molds that can cause infections.
Protozoa
Unicellular eukaryotic organisms; some cause diseases like malaria.
Helminths
Multicellular parasitic worms (nematodes, cestodes, trematodes) that can cause disease.
H5N1 (avian influenza)
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus; can spill over from birds to humans; high case fatality in humans, but not typically sustained human-to-human transmission.
Spillover
Transmission of a pathogen from animals to humans.
Evolutionary ecology
Study of how ecological and evolutionary processes affect disease transmission, virulence, and resistance (e.g., antibiotic resistance development).
Biomedicine
Medical approach focusing on cellular/organ-level disease; understanding pathogens helps detect, treat, prevent, and cure disease.
Health geography
Interdisciplinary field examining how disease spreads across space and place using tools like GIS; considers migration, environment, and cultural factors.
Polio (poliomyelitis)
Viral disease targeted for global eradication; can cause paralysis.
Vaccine-derived polio
Paralytic polio caused by mutations of the live attenuated oral polio vaccine in areas with low vaccination coverage.