What is a case definition in an outbreak?

Developing outbreak case definitions: A case definition includes criteria for person, place, time, and clinical features. These should be specific to the outbreak under investigation. “Person” describes key characteristics the patients share in common.

What are the three types of outbreaks?

Based on criteria such as this, epidemics are classified into three types:

  • common source outbreaks.
  • propagated or progressive epidemics.
  • mixed epidemics.

What are 2 types of outbreaks?

Types of Outbreak

  • Point Source Outbreaks. Common source outbreaks where the source has infected cases at one particular geographical location, during a short period of time, are called ‘point source outbreaks’.
  • Continuing common source outbreaks.
  • Propagated outbreaks.

What is a case definition in epidemiology?

A case definition is a set of standard criteria for classifying whether a person has a particular disease, syndrome, or other health condition. Some case definitions, particularly those used for national surveillance, have been developed and adopted as national standards that ensure comparability.

How do you analyze an outbreak?

  1. Step 1: Prepare for the Investigation. Before embarking on an outbreak investigation, consider necessary preparations:
  2. Step 2: Verify the Diagnosis & Presence of an Outbreak.
  3. Step 3: Establish a Case Definition; Identify Cases.
  4. Step 4: Conduct Descriptive Epidemiology.
  5. Step 6: Develop Hypotheses.
  6. Step 7: Evaluate Hypotheses.

What are the 10 steps of an outbreak 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.
  • What types of outbreaks are there?

    Epidemic Patterns

    • Common-source. Point. Continuous. Intermittent.
    • Propagated.
    • Mixed.
    • Other.

    What is the meaning of case definition?

    What is a case definition for an outbreak?

    A case definition is a set of standard criteria for determining whether an individual should be categorized as having a particular disease or health-related condition. For an outbreak, a case definition consists of clinical criteria and specification of time, place, and person.

    How is an outbreak assessed by place?

    Assessment of an outbreak by place not only provides information on the geographic extent of a problem, but may also demonstrate clusters or patterns that provide important etiologic clues. A spot map is a simple and useful technique for illustrating where cases live, work, or may have been exposed. Some spot maps indicate each patient’s residence.

    What is an example of an outbreak being promptly investigated?

    For example, the outbreak of West Nile virus in Queens, New York, in 1999 was promptly investigated to determine the extent of the outbreak and risk factors for disease so appropriate control measures could be developed and implemented.

    Is an outbreak an experiment of nature?

    An outbreak may provide an “experiment of nature” that would be unethical to set up deliberately but from which the scientific community can learn when it does happen to occur.