Epidemiology and Attack Rates Quiz

What is the role of an epidemiologist?

• To perform surgeries on patients

• To monitor the health of populations and search for patterns in disease

• To design new medical equipment

• To work as a pharmacist

What do epidemiologists use to calculate the probability of people developing an illness?

• Heart rate formula

• Food-specific attack rate formula

• Blood pressure formula

• Attack rate formula

What does the attack rate show?

• The location of the outbreak

• The lifestyle factors related to chronic illnesses

• The number of people affected by an illness

• The risk of illness as a percentage

What do epidemiologists calculate to determine the most likely culprit for making people sick at a party?

• Food-specific attack rate for each food item consumed

• Lifestyle factors of the partygoers

• The number of people who attended the party

• The type of music played at the party

What is the purpose of calculating the food-specific attack rates for all the food eaten at a party?

• To decide the seating arrangement at the party

• To plan the menu for the next party

• To determine the total calories consumed at the party

• To identify the food item with a high likelihood of making a person sick

Many school districs are placing dispensers of hand santizer in classrooms and computer labs. Which of the following is the MOST likely purpose of this practice?

• conserve water resources

• control noninfectious diseases

• promote safe use of technology

• limit diseases spread by contract

Five students get sick with a cold after a weekend field trip to the aquarium with their classmates. Which best explains why these students became sick?

• contact with infected fish

• contacted with infected person

• contact with contaminated food

• contact with contaminated water

At a party, of all the people that ate the cake, 8 were sick and 5 were not affected. What is the food specific attack rate for the cake?

• 62.5%

• 61.5%

• 38.5%

• 13%

Once a food outbreak has been identified, what should the epidemiologist NOT do?

• Let the illness pass

• Remove the affected food item from the source

• Warn the public

• Keep records of the number of people affected

What is the first step in an outbreak investigation?

• Develop a hypothesis

• Confirm that an outbreak is occurring

• Implement control and prevention measures

• Communicate findings