Outbreak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Outbreak (disambiguation).

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. Two linked cases of an infectious disease are usually sufficient to constitute an outbreak. 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.

[edit] 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]:

Verify the diagnosis related to the outbreak
Identify the existence of the outbreak: is the group of ill persons normal for the time of year, geographic area, etc.?
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