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A case definition serves which purpose during an investigation?
AIt lists the treatments given to each person who fell ill
BIt sets standard criteria for classifying a person as a case
CIt names the organism isolated from every clinical sample
DIt records the address of every person who was exposed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It sets standard criteria for classifying a person as a case
1. Before cases can be counted, investigators must agree on what counts as a case.
2. A case definition supplies that agreement as a set of standard criteria.
3. Applying the same criteria everywhere makes counts from different times and places comparable.
4. Treatments, organism names and addresses are data collected about cases, not the rule that decides who is a case.
_Source: CDC Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3rd Edition, section Defining a Case_
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