Get Chapter 9 Tracking An Outbreak Answer Key

To determine if there is an outbreak, the current number of new cases (incidence) can be compared with past levels of the same disease over a similar time period (base line level). If the number is unusually large or unexpected for the given place and time, an outbreak may be occurring.

In public health epidemiologists and other public health experts use a series of steps to answer 3 key questions, “what is the problem?, what is the cause? and what can we do about it?”. They use information and data to make decisions throughout an outbreak investigation.

The purpose of the epidemiologic investigation is to identify a problem, collect data, formulate and test hypotheses. It involves the collection and analysis of more facts or data to determine the cause of illness and to implement control measures to prevent additional illness.

In a multistate outbreak investigation, a hypothesis is a guess about the source of the illnesses based on what information is known. Hypothesis generation is an ongoing process during an investigation.

Identify investigation team and resources. Establish existence of an outbreak. Verify the diagnosis. Construct case definition. Find cases systematically and develop line listing. Perform descriptive epidemiology/develop hypotheses. Evaluate hypotheses/perform additional studies as necessary. Implement control measures.

Identify investigation team and resources. Establish existence of an outbreak. Verify the diagnosis. Construct case definition. Find cases systematically and develop line listing. Perform descriptive epidemiology/develop hypotheses. Evaluate hypotheses/perform additional studies as necessary. Implement control measures.

In outbreak investigations, descriptive epidemiology is given one of the key roles. It illustrates an outbreak using the three standard variables , time, place, and person , and makes it possible to set up specific hypotheses about causes and sources of infection and modes of transmission.

CDC investigates each multistate foodborne outbreak thoroughly using a 7-step process. The steps are described in order, but investigations are dynamic and several steps may happen at the same time.

In the past 20 years, the Region has witnessed a marked increase in the number of outbreaks and pandemics caused by emerging and re-emerging diseases, such as Alkhurma haemorrhagic fever, chikungunya, cholera, dengue, A/H5N1 influenza, pandemic A/H1N1 (2009) and Rift Valley fever, among others.