Outbreak Investigation Flashcards
Worst Outbreaks in History
○ Great influenza Outbreak of 1918-1919
○ The Black Death 1300-1400 (plague)
○ HIV/AIDS 1981 to present
○ Annual Seasonal Influenza Outbreaks
○ The Plague of Justinian 541 AD
○ The first Cholera Pandemic 1817-1823
○ The Antonine Plague 165-180 AD
○ The Asiatic (Russian) Influenza 1889-1890
Types of Outbreak Setting
- Food-borne outbreaks
- Water-borne outbreaks
- Community-acquired outbreak
“The occurrence in a community or region of
cases of an illness, specific health-related
behavior, or other health related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy”
Epidemic
Same definition of epidemic, but is often used for a more “limited geographic area”
Outbreak
An epidemic that has spread over several
countries or continents usually affecting a large number of people
Pandemic
Constant presence of diseases within a geographic area
Endemic
Rationale of Outbreak investigation
- To identify the source
- To establish control
- To institute measures to prevent future episodes
What falls under administrative in Step 1?
- Jurisdiction
- Team composition
- Resources
- Others (Travel Docs)
What falls under scientific in step 1, preparation?
- Background information
- Lab support and specimen handling
- PPE
- Current Response
- Local Theories
Step 2 is ______
Establish the existence of an outbreak
What is step 3?
Verify the diagnosis
Goal of Step 3
Rule out misdiagnosis, lab errors, etc.
Why do we do contact tracing?
To reduce transmission
What is step 4?
Define and identify the cases
A ______ case has the ability to identify those with the disease
Sensitive Case
A ______ case has the ability to identify those without the disease
Specific Case
_____ is used for epidemiologic investigation
A. Case Definition
B. Clinical Diagnosis
Case Definition
_______ is used for treatment decisions for individual patients
Clinical diagnosis
TRUE OR FALSE: Use a strict definition early on to help establish the true positives
False, Use a loose definition early on to help identify the extent of the outbreak
Important components of a case definition
- Clinical criteria
- Person/place/time limits
- Personal characteristics
- Specified time period
Categories of Cases
- Confirmed
- Probable
- Possible
Sources of Data for Case Finding
- Medical offices
- Laboratories
- Surveillance Data
- Institution
- Targeted Surveys
- Friends/contacts
- Local/tribal/community leaders
- Media and press
- Social Media
- Pharmacy records
- Novel data sources
What is step 5?
Characterize the epidemic (descriptive epidemiology)
Information provided by epi curve
- Type of epidemic
- Period of exposure
- Minimum/maximum Incubation Period
