Lesson 17 (25/11/14)

Date : 25/11/14

Topic : The Epidemiology and Public Health Microbiology

Activities
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Notes

Sporadic : occasionally and at irregular intervals.
Endemic : relatively steady low-level frequency and at moderately regular interval
Hyperendemic : gradually increase above endemic but not to epidemic

Outbreak : sudden occurrence unexpectedly, small region (like cholera during feast)
Epidemic : sudden increase unexpectedly
Pandemic : worldwide

Incidence : new cases contracted within population
Prevalence : total number contracted within population

Disease spread can be due to common source outbreak or propagated epidemic

Study of epidemiology includes descriptive (physical aspect and spread)), analytical (cause-and-effect), experimental (experiment).

Infectious frequency can be measured from morbidity rate, mortality rate, prevalence rate (depend on duration and incidence rate).

Infectious reservoirs include human, animal (zoonosis), non-living things (soil, water).

Transmission can be due to contact (direct, indirect, droplets), vehicle (water, air, food), vector (mechanical, biological).

Herd immunity is resistance of population due to immunity of large percentage of the population.

Nosocomial infections are also known as hospital-acquired infections normally caused by normal microbiota. There are many antibiotic resistant hospital strains.

Sources of nosocomial can be endogenous pathogen, exogenous pathogen and autogenous pathogen.

Ways to control epidemics : reduce infection source, break connection from susceptible individual, reduce number of susceptible individuals

Adjuvants are mixed with antigens in vaccines to enhance the immunization.

Risk of vaccination includes attenuated microbes may revert to virulent.

DNA vaccines introduces DNA directly into host cell via air pressure or gene gun.

Name of microbes
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Random facts
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Muddiest point
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My own exploration

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Reflection on this topic

I thought epidemiology is a study that is very "far" and unrelated with us. However, infectious diseases actually exist around us, ranging from flu to nosocomial infections. I used to think that being particular at the cleanliness of door knob and other apparatus in hospital is too extreme. But now I know that there are lots of infections will be contracted and even the infection will become more resistant if no measures of cleaning and sterilization are taken.