West Nile virus infection
Order Instructions:
For the month of August, 12 new cases of tuberculosis and 12 new cases of West Nile virus infection were reported to a county health department. You are not sure if either group of cases is a cluster or an outbreak.
What additional information might be helpful in making this determination? Why? How would you obtain this information?
SAMPLE ANSWER
Week 4 discussion
Quick response is vital in case of any outbreak of diseases. Health departments and other agencies have the duty to act swiftly to contain these clusters or outbreaks. For instance, in this case where a country’s health department reported 12 new cases of tuberculosis and West Nile virus infections, it becomes critical to collect information quickly to determine whether it is a cluster or an outbreak for immediate action. The author deliberates on additional information required to make determination as well as reasons why and the process of obtaining information in such instances as tuberculosis and West Nile virus outbreaks.
To determine whether these cases are a cluster or an outbreak, it requires adequate information. Information pertaining to these cases will include the rate of occurrence of the diseases, the community or region affected and the frequency of the illness among many others. Outbreak occurs when the number of victims is more than the expected cases (Sterhr-Green, Paul, Voetsch & MacDonald, 2010).
This information is required because it helps to determine the number of people that are affected and in adopting appropriate strategies to counter the same (CIFOR, 2010). A cluster and an outbreak requires different strategies to contain further spread of the disease and therefore being armed with this vital information is essential to approaching the challenge amicably.
Obtaining this information is yet another important aspect in seeking to determine whether the case above is a cluster or an outbreak. One way of obtaining information is partnering with the health agency to come up with appropriate ways to get information on the ground (UIC, 2005). It is also important to partner with the community members and other leaders to help in establishing the causes and the time of the outbreak among other information. Information will also be obtained through interviews and administration of questionnaires with the victims and their close family members.
References
CIFOR. (2010). Investigation of Clusters and Outbreaks, Chapter 5. Retrieved from: http://www.cifor.us/documents/CIFORGuidelinesChapter5.pdf
Sterhr-Green, J., Paul, S., Voetsch, A., & MacDonald, P. (2010). Introduction to Outbreak Investigations, Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Retrieved form: http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763784591/84591_CH02_FINAL.pdf
UIC. (2005). Investigating an outbreak. Retrieved from: https://www.uic.edu/sph/prepare/courses/PHLearning/EpiCourse/6InvestigatingAnOutbreak.pdf
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