Epidemiology

Question 1

What is epidemiology?

Answer 1

The study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in specified populations

Question 2

Is the focus of epidemiology on populations or individuals?

Answer 2

Populations

Question 3

What does frequency mean in terms of epidemiology?

Answer 3

The quantification of occurrence of disease

Question 4

What does distribution mean in terms of epidemiology?

Answer 4

Who
When
Where
How

Question 5

What are infectious diseases?

Answer 5

Those which are transmittable

• Measles
• Mumps

Question 6

What are non-infectious diseases?

Answer 6

Those which are non-transmittable

• Heat disease
• Diabetes

Question 7

What are contagious diseases?

Answer 7

Diseases which are easily transmitted by contact between hosts

• Flu
• Colds

Question 8

What are non-contagious diseases?

Answer 8

Diseases whose spread usually requires a mode of transmission
- Lyme disease

Question 9

What does reproduction number tell us about diseases?

Answer 9

How contagious and infectious the disease is

Question 10

What is the reproduction number derived from?

Answer 10

The number of people who catch the disease from one sick person

Question 11

What is reproduction number affected by?

Answer 11

The mode of transmission

Question 12

The higher the reproduction number the ______ the herd immunity required.

Answer 12

Higher

Question 13

What is incidence of disease?

Answer 13

The number of new cases of disease in a population at a particular time

Question 14

What does the incidence of disease provide?

Answer 14

An indication of the risk of contracting a disease

Question 15

What is prevalence of disease?

Answer 15

The total number of cases in a population at a particular time
- Existing and new cases

Question 16

What does the prevalence of disease provide?

Answer 16

An indication of how common and widespread a disease is within a population

Question 17

What is an epidemic?

Answer 17

An unusually high number of cases in a population at the same time

Question 18

What is an outbreak?

Answer 18

An unusual cluster of cases appearing within a short time in a localised population

Question 19

What is a pandemic?

Answer 19

A widespread epidemic

- Usually global

Question 20

What is an endemic?

Answer 20

A disease which is constantly present in the population

Question 21

What is sporadic disease?

Answer 21

Individual cases occur in geographically distinct places

- Not linked

Question 22

What did John Snow identify?

Answer 22

Cholera outbreaks in London

Question 23

What did Florence Nightingale record?

Answer 23

Statistics on typhus epidemic in English civilian and military populations

Question 24

What did Ignaz Semmelweis discover?

Answer 24

Causes of deaths attributed to childbirth fever

Question 25

Why are infectious diseases spread?

Answer 25

Global travel Globalisation of food supply Overcrowding Closer contact with wilderness environments

Question 26

What is chain infection?

Answer 26

Infection transported to the host via the route of transmission from a reservoir

Question 27

Do all infected individuals exhibit disease?

Answer 27

No - carriers act as reservoirs for disease

Question 28

Who was typhoid Mary?

Answer 28

An asymptomatic carrier of the agent that caused typhoid

Question 29

What are the two modes of transmission by contact?

Answer 29

Direct and indirect

Question 30

What is direct contact transmission?

Answer 30

Host to host - Animal to person - Person to person = mother to child, skin to skin, exchange of bodily fluids

Question 31

What diseases are spread via direct contact transmission?

Answer 31

Rabies STI's Measles

Question 32

What is indirect contact transmission?

Answer 32

``` Via non-living objects = formites - Toothbrushes - Bedding - Drinking cups Via droplets in the air ```

Question 33

What diseases are spread via indirect contact transmission?

Answer 33

Hepatitis B | Respiratory disease

Question 34

What is indirect transmission?

Answer 34

Transmission by a medium - Food and water - Airborne - Vector

Question 35

What is indirect mechanical transmission?

Answer 35

Passive transmission of pathogens on the insects feet or other body parts

Question 36

What is indirect biological transmission?

Answer 36

Active process through insect bite

Question 37

What is infectivity?

Answer 37

The ease of transmission

Question 38

What is pathogenicity?

Answer 38

The ability of a pathogen to cause disease

Question 39

What is virulence?

Answer 39

How serious the disease outcome is

Question 40

What measures may be taken to control disease?

Answer 40

Reduce pathogen reservoir Reduce transmission of pathogens Reduce host susceptibility to disease

Question 41

How might pathogen reservoirs be reduced?

Answer 41

Human immunity Animal immunity Reduce vector population

Question 42

How might transmission of pathogens be reduced?

Answer 42

Treatment of food and water to eliminate pathogens | Wearing masks = respiratory pathogens

Question 43

How might host susceptibility to disease be reduced?

Answer 43

Immunity

Question 44

What is active immunity?

Answer 44

Individual develops antibodies in response to infection or vaccination

Question 45

What is passive immunity?

Answer 45

Individual gains antibodies via mother, injections of antitoxins or immune globulin

Question 46

What is herd immunity?

Answer 46

The resistance of a group to infection due to the immunity of a high proportion of the members of the group

Question 47

What pathogen causes small pox?

Answer 47

Orthopoxvirus

Question 48

What is the reservoir for small pox?

Answer 48

Humans

Question 49

How is small pox transmitted?

Answer 49

Respiratory route