Question

Active Learning Template: Basic Concept: Outbreak Investigation

ACTIVE LEARNING TEMPLATE. Basic Concept STUDENT NAME CEPT Outbreak Investigation REVIEW MODULE CHAPTER Related Content Underlying Principles Nursing Interventions WHO? WHEN? WHY? HOW? (EG., DELEGATION LEVELS OF PREVENTION ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

Answer 1

Outbreak investigation

Introduction: Outbreak: an epidemic that is limited to a localized increase in disease incidence (such as a village, town or closed institution) may be called an outbreak.

Investigating an outbreak/epidemic is a series of techniques used to determine the cause of the disease, the people affected the circumstances and manner of disease spread and other relevant factors involved in the spread of the epidemic and to take effective measures to contain and prevent disease spread.

An outbreak/epidemic of disease is the occurrence of disease cases that exceed what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographic area or season.

An outbreak/epidemic may occur in or extend over a restricted geographic area, several neighboring areas, the whole country, or several countries. It may last for a couple of days or weeks or a few years.

Principles of Outbreak Investigations

• Be systematic! – Follow the same steps for every type of outbreak – Write down case definitions – Ask the same questions of everybody

• Stop often to re-assess what you know – Line list and epi curve provide valuable information; many investigations never go past this point

• Coordinate with partners (e.g., environmental and epidemiology)

Steps involved in outbreak investigation

1: Prepare for fieldwork Step :

2: Establish the existence of an outbreak Step

3: Verify the diagnosis Step

4: Define and identify cases Step

5: Perform descriptive epidemiology Step

6: Develop hypotheses Step

7: Evaluate hypotheses Step

8: Execute additional studies Step

9: Implement control and prevention measures Step

10: Communicate findings Step

11: Follow up recommendations