Health Sciences

Items

• incidence rate

  A measure of the frequency with which new cases of illness, injury, or other health condition occur, expressed explicitly per a time frame. Incidence rate is calculated as the number of new cases over a specified period divided either by the average population (usually mid-period) or by the cumulative person-time the population was at risk.
• Infectious disease

  It’s a disease that can be transmitted from one living organism to another.
• Inhibition

  The prevention or reduction of the functioning of an organ, muscle, etc.
• Inhibitor

  A substance that prevents the occurrence of a given process or reaction.
• inoculation

  The action of immunizing someone against a disease by introducing infective material, microorganisms, or vaccine into the body.
• lung damage

  This cause lung complications such as pneumonia and in most severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
• macrophage

  Is a white blood cell that swallow up and digest germs, plus dead or dying cells. The macrophages leave behind parts of the invading germs called antigens.
• medical treatment

  Actions aimed at restoration of health.
• melena stool

  Dark coloured stool or faeces caused by stomach bleeding.
• meningitis

  Inflammation of the meninges.
• mode of transmission

  The manner in which an agent is transmitted from its reservoir to a susceptible host.
• morbidity

  Condition of being ill in the group of people or a person.
• morbidity rate

  Is a measure of how many people have an illness relative to the population.
• mortality

  Occurrence of death.
• mortality rate

  Is a measure of how many people have died because of an illness, also relative to the population.
• nasopharyngeal swab

  Collection of a sample on the throat through the nose.
• oropharyngeal swab

  Collection of a sample on the throat through the mouth.
• outbreak

  A sudden rise in the incidence of a disease, which is usually confined to one area or group of people.
• Pathogen

  Is an organism that causes disease. Your body is naturally full of microbes. However, these microbes only cause a problem if your immune system is weakened or if they manage to enter a normally sterile part of your body.
• Pathogenicity

  The ability of an agent to cause disease after infection, measured as the proportion of persons infected by an agent who then experience clinical disease.
• prevalence

  The amount of a particular disease, chronic condition, or type of injury present among a population.
• prevalence rate

  A measure of how widespread a disease or condition is within a population at the specific time or during a specific period.
• pneumonia

  Infection of the lungs.
• reservoir

  The habitat in which an infectious agent normally lives, grows, and multiplies, which can include humans, animals, or the environment.
• Respirator

  A device that assists in breathing.