Question 1

What level of infectivity would likely be noted when a disease has a high secondary attack rate?&#10;A) None&#10;B) High&#10;C) Moderate&#10;D) Low

Accepted Answer

Infectivity refers to how easily a disease establishes infection in a person. Therefore, infectivity is likely to be high when there is a high secondary attack rate.

Question 2

What happens when the incubation period of an infectious agent (such as chicken pox) overlaps with the period of communicability?&#10;A) The infection has a low pathogenic rate.&#10;B) Transmission of infection is likely before clinical symptoms emerge.&#10;C) Clinical symptoms of the infection are evident during the communicable period.&#10;D) Indirect transmission of the infection is likely to occur.

Accepted Answer

When the incubation period overlaps with the period of communicability, transmission of the infection to others can occur in the days before a person actually becomes clinically ill from the infection.

Question 3

What strategy can be used in a child day care facility to reduce the risk of vehicle-borne indirect transmission of a wide range of infectious agents?&#10;A) Regular review of immunization rates of children attending the day care&#10;B) Monitoring of endemic disease by the day care&#10;C) Regular washing of toys used by the children&#10;D) Improving child nutrition at the day care

Accepted Answer

As they play, young children often put toys in their mouths, allowing infectious agents to spread. This risk can be reduced by regularly washing the toys.

Question 4

What is a key factor that has contributed significantly to the rise in antimicrobial-resistant organisms?&#10;A) Greater prevalence of nosocomial infections&#10;B) Patients switching antibiotics&#10;C) Over-prescription of antibiotics by health care practitioners&#10;D) An increase in the prevalence of respiratory infections among patients

Accepted Answer

The over-prescription and inappropriate prescription of antibiotics to patients is a key factor that has contributed to the rise of antimicrobial-resistant organisms.

Question 5

Which key concern regarding immunization programs is continuing to develop in Canada, both provincially and nationally?&#10;A) Vaccine testing&#10;B) Vaccine uptake&#10;C) Herd immunity&#10;D) Vaccine program expansion

Accepted Answer

Each province in Canada has a well-developed, publicly funded immunization program that offers efficacious vaccines. However, vaccine uptake is a continuing concern, as some members of the public are reluctant to receive immunizations (for themselves or for their children), thereby making the provincial and national vaccination programs ineffective.

Question 6

Which emerging concern threatens Canada's capacity to treat tuberculosis effectively?&#10;A) Increased immigration&#10;B) Misunderstanding the causes of tuberculosis&#10;C) Emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis strains&#10;D) Emerging stigma surrounding this disease

Accepted Answer

The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis threatens treatment effectiveness, both in Canada and globally.

Question 7

Which two vector-borne diseases/microorganisms are emerging as a health concern in Canada through environmental spread?&#10;A) Rabies and Salmonella&#10;B) Zika virus and Dengue fever&#10;C) Vancomycin-resistant enterococci and tuberculosis&#10;D) Lyme disease and West Nile virus

Accepted Answer

In Canada, two important vector-borne diseases-Lyme disease and West Nile-are considered emerging infectious diseases of importance owing to a wider environmental spread that increases the risk of disease exposure.

Question 8

Why is bioterrorism, the deliberate use of harmful microorganisms, emerging as a present and future risk for all countries, including Canada?&#10;A) Increasing numbers of skilled terrorist teams&#10;B) Sophistication of global labs experimenting with infectious organisms&#10;C) Increasing availability of agents and the technical capacity to produce them&#10;D) Increasing economic costs of political threats

Accepted Answer

Bioterrorism is a present and future risk, as an applied weapon of choice, owing to the increased availability of harmful biological agents and the increased technical capacity of terrorist organizations to produce them.

Question 9

What are the key elements for managing an infectious disease outbreak? (Select all that apply.)&#10;A) Neutralize the agent.&#10;B) Do an attack risk assessment.&#10;C) Enhance host resistance.&#10;D) Interrupt transmission.&#10;E) Ensure public communication.

Accepted Answer

The key elements that need to be addressed when managing an outbreak include removing or neutralizing the agent, strengthening the resistance of the host, interrupting the means of transmission in the environment, and providing timely and appropriate public communication.

Question 10

What factors did researchers from Manitoba identify as most likely to be contributing to the higher rates of influenza infection among Indigenous children versus non-Indigenous children? (Select all that apply.)

A) Limited parenting in the community
B) Poor housing conditions
C) Indoor air pollution exposure
D) Inattention to health equity
E) Higher prevalence of chronic diseases

Accepted Answer

According to research conducted in Manitoba, the factors that are most likely contributing to the higher rates of influenza infection (12 times higher) among Indigenous children than among non-Indigenous children are thought to include policies that have fostered inequities, poor housing conditions, greater exposure to indoor air pollution, and a higher prevalence of chronic diseases (e.g., asthma or diabetes), all of which can increase the risk of infection and health complications.

Deck 10: Communicable Diseases