Outbreak
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Outbreak is a classification used in epidemiology to describe a small, localized group of people or organisms infected with a disease. Such groups are often confined to a village or a small area. Outbreaks may also refer to epidemics, which affect a region in a country or a group of countries, or pandemics, which describe global disease outbreaks.
Outbreak Investigation
When investigating disease outbreaks, the epidemiology profession has developed a number of widely accepted steps. As described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these include the following[1]:
- Identify the existence of the outbreak: is the group of ill persons normal for the time of year, geographic area, etc.?
- Verify the diagnosis related to the outbreak
- Create a case definition to define who/what is included as a case
- Complete descriptive epidemiology: describe outbreak with respect to time, place, and people
- Develop a hypothesis: what appears to be causing the outbreak?
- Study hypothesis: collect data and perform analysis
- Refine hypothesis and carry out further study
- Develop and implement control and prevention systems
- Release findings to greater community
Types
- Common source (Point source)
- Propagated
- Continuous source
- Zoonotic
Notes
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
