TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 5. Disease Outbreaks A1 - Greenberg, Raymond S. A1 - Daniels, Stephen R. A1 - Flanders, W. Dana A1 - Eley, John William A1 - Boring, John R. Y1 - 2005 N1 - T2 - Medical Epidemiology, 4e AB - A disease outbreak is an epidemic that occurs suddenly and within a relatively confined geographic area. The occurrence of a disease outbreak requires a pathogen in sufficient quantities, a mode of transmission, and a pool of susceptible persons. The two primary modes of transmission of pathogens in disease outbreaks are person-to-person spread and common source of exposure. Criteria for determining whether a disease outbreak should be investigated include, among others: the number and severity of persons affected, uncertainty about cause, and level of public concern. The attack rate is a measure of the number of persons affected by the disease outbreak among persons at risk. Food-borne pathogens can give rise to disease outbreaks through a common source exposure. Emerging infectious disease refers to an infection that has newly appeared in a population, or has existed but is rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic spread. Certain emerging pathogens, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)–related coronavirus, West Nile virus, and Ebola virus are responsible for highly publicized recent outbreaks of disease with high case-fatalities. In 2001, the threat of bioterrorism was realized when Bacillus anthracis was mailed to at least five locations, resulting in 22 cases of anthrax and five deaths. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=545439 ER -