Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INFECTION
The entry and development or multiplication of an
infectious agent in the bodies of mans and animals. It also implies that the body responds in some way to defend itself against the invader, either in the form of an immune response or disease An infection does not always cause disease
Types of Infection
Colonization: S.aureus in skin, nasopharynx Subclinical/Inapparent infection: Polio Latent infection: Herpes simplex Manifest/Clinical Infection
CONTAMINATION
The presence of an infectious agent on
the body surface In clothes, beddings Toys Surgical instruments/dressings Other inanimate articles Substances including water, milk and food
INFESTATION
For persons or animals, lodgement, development
Also invasion of gut by parasitic worms Ascariasis Infested articles/premises those which harbour or
HOST
A person or other animal, including birds and
arthropods, that affords subsistence or lodgement to an infectious agent under natural conditions. Types:
Obligate host- e.g. man in measles Primary or definitive host- in which the parasite passes its sexual stage or attains maturity Secondary or intermediate host- in which the parasite is in a larval or asexual state Transport host- A carrier in which the organism remains alive but does not undergo development
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
A clinically manifest disease of man or animals
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE
A disease transmitted through contact Scabies, trachoma, STD
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
An illness due to a specific infectious agent or its
toxic products capable of being directly or indirectly transmitted from man to man, animal to animal or from the environment (through air, dust, soil, water, food, etc.) to man or animal
EPIDEMIC
The unusual occurrence in a community or region of disease, specific health related behaviour (eg. smoking), or other health related events (eg. Traffic accidents)
clearly in excess of the expected occurrence The amount of disease occurring in the past, in absence of epidemic, defines the expected frequency. An arbitrary limit of two standard errors from the endemic frequency epidemic threshold of common ds.
ENDEMIC
Refers to the constant presence of a disease or
infectious agent within a given geographic area or population group without importation from outside. Usual or expected frequency of the disease. May burst into epidemic when conditions are favourable
Hyperendemic: Disease constantly present at a high incidence/prevalence rate and affects all age groups equally Holoendemic: A high level of infection beginning early in life affecting most of the child population, leading to a state of equilibrium such that the adult population shows evidence of the disease much less commonly than do the children.
malaria
PANDEMIC
An epidemic usually affecting a large proportion of
the population, occurring over a wide geographical area, such as a section of nation, the entire nation, a continent or the world.
Swine flu
SPORADIC
The cases occur irregularly, haphazardly from time
to time, and generally infrequently. The cases are so few and separated widely in space and time that they show little or no connection with each other, nor a recognisable common source of infection.
EXOTIC
Diseases which are imported into a country in which
Eg: Rabies in UK
ZOONOSES
An infection or infectious disease transmissible
Epizootic Enzootic
Types: Anthropozoonoses: Vertebrate animals Man Zooanthroponoses: Man Vertebrate animals Amphixenoses: May be transmitted in either direction
EPIZOOTIC
An epidemic disease in an animal population
population
ENZOOTIC
An endemic disease occurring in animals
NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION
An infection originating in a patient while in a
hospital or any other health care facility New disorder (unrelated to the patients primary condition) associated with being in hospital It was not present/incubating at the time of admission or the residual of an infection acquired during a previous admission Acquired in the hospital, but appearing after discharge Eg: Infection of surgical wounds, Hepatitis B
OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION
Infection by an organism that takes the opportunity
provided by the defect in host defence to infect the host and hence cause disease. Infection by an organism that is not normally pathogenic, but may cause disease if resistance is lowered. Eg:
IATROGENIC INFECTION
Any untoward or adverse consequence of a
preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic regimen or procedure, that causes impairment, handicap, disability or death resulting from a physicians professional activity or from the professional activity of other health professionals. The disease may be serious enough to
Prolong the hospital stay, Require special treatment, or Actually threaten life
Example:
Reactions to drugs penicillin, Chloramphenicol Childhood leukaemia due to prenatal X-rays Hepatitis B following blood transfusion
CONTROL
Operations aimed at reducing Incidence of disease Duration of disease, risk of transmission Effects of infection- physical, psychological complications Financial burden to the community The disease agent is permitted to persist in the
community at a level where it ceases to be a public health problem, according to the tolerance of the local population.
ERADICATION
Termination of all transmission of infection by
extermination of the infectious agent through surveillance and containment An absolute process- termination of an infection from the whole world. Example:
Small pox
ELIMINATION
Eradication of the disease from a large geographical