Define epidemiology - Answer-- The study of the origin, cause, distribution, and spread of disease
Who was the first epidemiologist and what were his studies? - Answer-John Snow - studied series of Cholera outbreaks; discovered the disease came from infected drinking water
T/F: Control measur...
MCB 3020 Exam Study Guide Questions
and Answers
Define epidemiology - Answer-- The study of the origin, cause, distribution, and spread
of disease
Who was the first epidemiologist and what were his studies? - Answer-John Snow -
studied series of Cholera outbreaks; discovered the disease came from infected
drinking water
T/F: Control measures for microorganisms should be directed toward the part of the
disease cycle that is most susceptible to control - Answer-True
What government agency focuses on national and environmental health, as well as
designs a set of health education activities to improve general health of population? -
Answer-Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
What is the supranational agency involved in tracking and controlling the spread of
disease worldwide? - Answer-World Health Organization (WHO)
What is the U.S. Biological Weapons Defense Initiative? - Answer-Based on developing,
producing, and stockpiling specific antibody reagents that can be used to protect the
population against biological warfare threats
Define the following terms - Answer-- Sporadic disease: occurs occasionally, at irregular
intervals
- Endemic disease: occurs regularly at a low level of frequency and at moderately
regular intervals
- Hyperendemic disease: increases gradually above level of an endemic disease, but
not enough to qualify as an epidemic
- Outbreak: an abrupt, unexpected occurrence of a disease, usually in a limited segment
of the population
- Epidemic: an abrupt increase in frequency of disease above expected number
- Index case: first case in an epidemic
- Pandemic: an increase in the occurrence of disease within a large population
, What does public health surveillance involve? - Answer-The proactive evaluation of
emerging infectious agents, human behaviors, lifestyle choices, and genetic
backgrounds
T/F: Epidemiologists frequently draw on the knowledge from the field of statistics. -
Answer-True
Define and describe the 3 numerical measures of disease frequency - Answer--
Morbidity (incidence) rate: number of new cases of a disease during a particular period,
as a fraction of population size
- Prevalence rate: measures the total number of infected individuals in population at any
given time, as a share of total population size
- Mortality rate: number of deaths from a given disease, as a fraction of overall cases of
that disease
What is an infectious disease? When does it become communicable? - Answer--
Infectious disease: one that results from an infection by microbial agents
- Becomes communicable when it can be transmitted from person to person
Define the following and their differences: common-source epidemics vs propagated
epidemics - Answer-- Common-source epidemics: one that is caused by a single,
common contaminated source
-> characterized by a significant, intermediate increase in number of infected
individuals, and a similarly significant decrease in number of infected individuals
- Propagated epidemics: caused by the introduction of an infected individual into a
susceptible population, where the disease can be propagated to others
-> characterized by a gradual increase in the number of infected individuals, followed by
a gradual decline in the number of infected individuals over time
What is herd immunity? - Answer-Explains the resistance of a population to infection
and to the spread of an infectious organism due to high level of immunity of a large
percentage of population
**this explains why an unvaccinated individual may not become infected since most of
the population around them have been**
T/F: Immunization of a population has no effect on herd immunity. - Answer-False;
increases the level of immunity
Distinguish difference between antigenic drift and antigenic shift - Answer-- Antigenic
drift: results in minor changes to virus; from natural mutations
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lectknancy. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $10.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
