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A health department must judge whether an increase in reports of a notifiable disease is an outbreak. Where does the expected number usually come from?
AHealth department surveillance records
BThe clinical notes of the reported patients
CThe laboratory that confirmed the cases
DA survey of all local hospital staff
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Health department surveillance records
1. Establishing an outbreak means comparing the observed number of cases with the expected number.
2. The expected number is usually taken from the previous few weeks or months, or the same period in previous years.
3. For a notifiable disease those historical figures sit in health department surveillance records.
4. Where no such records exist, hospital discharge data, mortality statistics or registries may be used instead.
5. Clinical notes and laboratory reports describe the current cases and say nothing about the usual level.
_Source: CDC Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3rd Edition, section Step 2 Establish the Existence of an Outbreak_
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