Outbreak

Anoutbreakis aneventthat sometimes cannot becontrolledfor several months, years, or longer. The word "outbreak" is atermused inepidemiology.It describes what happens when adiseasebecomes widespread that first thought. An outbreak can affect a small group or affect thousands of people across the world. An outbreak can beepidemic.

Types

• Common source - all victims got the disease from the same source (such aswater pollution)
  • Continuous source - when the disease continues to spread for a longer time.
  • Point source - when the disease continues to spread for a short time.
• Propagated - disease is spread from person to person.
• Behavioral risk related - disease is spread by a person's behavior such assexually transmitted diseasesandmalnutrition.
• Zoonotic- disease is spread from animal to animal.

Patterns of an outbreak

• Endemic- a common disease such asinfluenza,measles,mumps,pneumonia,coldsandsmallpox.This is characterized by a place, group or activity.
• Epidemic- when the disease affect a large group of people.
• Pandemic- when the disease affects people worldwide.