A well of contaminated water resulted in an outbreak of diarrhoea in a community. Which type of epidemic will this exposure present with?
1. Propagated epidemic
2. Common source – continuous exposure
3. Common source – point exposure
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 2 only
ANS- (d) 2 only
Common-source, continuous or repeated exposure example:
- A prostitute may be a common source in a gonorrhoea outbreak,
- A well of contaminated water, or a nationally distributed brand of vaccine (e.g. polio vaccine), or food.
- This outbreak, as in other outbreaks of this type, continued beyond the range of one
incubation period.
Propagated:
A propagated epidemic is most often of infectious origin and results from person-to-person transmission of an infectious agent (e.g., epidemics of hepatitis A and polio).
Common source-point exposure:
The exposure to the disease agent is brief and essentially simultaneous, the resultant cases all develop within one incubation period of the disease (e.g., an epidemic of food poisoning).
Other Questions Asked on this topic:
Q. Poor hand hygiene of a mess worker in a university college mess led to Hepatitis A cases in the hostel inmates. What type of epidemic will this exposure present with? (CMS 2020)
1. Propagated
2. Common source-continuous exposure
3. Common source-point exposure
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 1 only
(d) 2 only
Show/Hide Answer
ANS- (d) 2 only
Q. A well of contaminated water resulting in an epidemic of acute watery diarrhoea is a typical example for- (CMS 2017)
(a) Common source, single exposure epidemic
(b) Common source, continuous exposure epidemic
(c) Slow epidemic
(d) Propagated epidemic
ANS- (b) Common source, continuous exposure epidemic
Q. After attending a birthday party in a hostel around 50 students reported having loose stools, fever and few reported vomiting. This outbreak can be identified as what type of outbreak ? (CMS 2021)
(a) Propagated only
(b) Common point source only
(c) Common source continuous
(d) Both propagated and common point source
Show/Hide Answer
ANS- (b) Common point source only