Deck 37: Infectious Disease Prevention and Control

Question 1

An example of a vertical transmission of a disease is through:

A) Breast milk
B) Sexual transmission
C) Mosquitoes
D) Contaminated food

Answer 1

Breast milk

Question 2

Many factors can influence the emergence of new diseases. Most are consequences of activities and behavior of the human hosts and environmental changes. Which of the following is a factor that can influence the emergence of new infectious diseases?

A) Increased prevention programs and trained personnel
B) Globalization of food supplies and changes in food processing and packaging
C) Decrease in sexual behavior, travel, drug use, and child care facilities
D) Peace Corps workers building sanitation systems that allow for healthier lifestyles that result in fewer diseases

Answer 2

Globalization of food supplies and changes in food processing and packaging

Question 3

Nurses at the public health center must be knowledgeable about preventing and controlling parasitic infections. Which of the following is important for the nurse to know?

A) The medication to prescribe to treat these infections
B) The nature and symptoms of all parasitic illnesses
C) What specimens to collect and how and when to collect them
D) Public policy about parasitic infections

Answer 3

What specimens to collect and how and when to collect them

Question 4

A constant presence of a disease within a population is referred to as:

A) Epidemic
B) Pandemic
C) Endemic
D) Herd immunity

Question 5

A nurse is working in a health department when a patient arrives who has been traveling to South America. Malaria is diagnosed. The nurse knows:

A) The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report should be consulted to investigate the rate of malaria in the United States
B) This is a disease that must be reported to the state health department.
C) The nurse should take precautions to wear a mask and gown to avoid exposure.
D) The patient is very ill and should be sent to the hospital immediately.

Question 6

Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is still largely a hospital-acquired infection. Community health nurses should know:

A) Persons with MRSA usually have a chronic illness.
B) MRSA is still a nosocomial (health-care acquired) infection and not often seen in the community.
C) VRE (Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) follows MRSA.
D) MRSA is becoming more common in the community, especially in school athletic programs and prison populations.

Question 7

The term used to describe the occurrence of one case of smallpox in a population in which it was considered to be previously eliminated is:

A) Endemic
B) Epidemic
C) Pandemic
D) Infectivity

Question 8

Nosocomial or health-care acquired infections are those acquired during hospitalization or within a hospital setting. What is the best method for preventing these infections?

A) Good hand washing before and after approaching every patient.
B) These infections cannot be avoided these days because of the high rates of infection of the general public.
C) Isolate every patient having surgery.
D) Use contact isolation for every patient at risk.

Question 9

An example of an agent is:

A) Host resistance
B) Viruses
C) Infectiousness
D) Bug bites

Question 10

The transference of antibodies from mother to infant is known as:

A) Active immunity
B) Passive immunity
C) Natural immunity
D) Horizontal transmission

Question 11

An example of a vector is:

A) Contaminated water
B) A tick
C) A dirty needle
D) An infected person

Question 12

The aim to remove a disease from a large geographic area is called:

A) Prevention
B) Control
C) Elimination
D) Eradication

Question 13

Immunity is a characteristic of the:

A) Agent factor
B) Host factor
C) Environmental factor
D) Epidemiologic triad

Question 14

The nurse teaches food handlers to wash utensils after contact with raw meat. This prevention focuses on the:

A) Agent
B) Host
C) Environment
D) Food handler

Question 15

Enterobiasis (pinworm) is the most common helminthic infection in the United States. Pinworm infection is seen most often among children and is most prevalent in crowded and institutional settings. A community health nurse investigates an outbreak at a local day care center. What suggestions would the nurse give the day care workers?

A) Close the day care until all surfaces are cleaned.
B) No action is necessary because it is easily treated with oral vermicides.
C) Use good hand washing to prevent the transmission as it is spread through the fecal-oral route.
D) Every child in the day care should be treated because they all are probably infected.

Question 16

Requirements for disease reporting in the United States are mandated by:

A) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
B) Federal laws
C) State laws and regulations
D) County health departments

Question 17

The time interval between invasion by an infectious agent and the first appearance of signs and symptoms of the disease is called:

A) Communicable period
B) Incubation period
C) Infectiousness
D) Pathologic reaction

Question 18

Vaccines are one of the most important methods of controlling and preventing communicable diseases. Because many children receive their immunizations at public health departments, nurses play a major role in the effort to increase immunization coverage of infants and toddlers. Which of the following is often a role of public health nurses?

A) Reading the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report to investigate new vaccines that are available
B) Requiring that children have all their immunizations before going to public school
C) Tracking children known to be at risk for underimmunization
D) Leading teams of health care workers to enforce laws related to immunizations

Question 19

Although infectious diseases may not be the leading cause of death in the United States, they continue to present varied, multiple, and complex challenges to all health care providers. What role do nurses play in infectious disease management?

A) Nurses are often involved in the eradication of these diseases.
B) Nurses must know about these diseases to effectively participate in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control.
C) Health care providers rely on nurses to diagnose these diseases.
D) Nurses are involved in public policy matters related to these diseases.

Question 20

Foodborne illness or "food poisoning" is often categorized as either food infection or food intoxication. Food intoxication is caused by:

A) Toxins produced by bacterial growth and chemical contaminants
B) Bacterial, viral, or parasitic invasion of food
C) Overcooking of meat and produce
D) Adding too many spices or ingredients to food

Question 21

The nurse provides footwear and gloves to leprosy clients to prevent trauma to their insensitive and deformed hands and feet. This is an example of:

A) Primary level of prevention
B) Secondary level of prevention
C) Tertiary level of prevention
D) Primary health care prevention

Question 22

Which of the following has been identified as one of the leading candidate agents for bioterrorism?

A) Smallpox
B) Anthrax
C) Tularemia
D) Plague

Question 23

Nurses are often involved in surveillance. Which of the following are commonly used elements of surveillance? Select all that apply.

A) Mortality registration
B) Epidemic field investigation
C) Laboratory reporting
D) Individual case investigation
E) None of the above

Question 24

Rabies postexposure immunization is an example of which of the following levels of prevention with regard to infectious disease interventions?

A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Assessment

Question 25

Adoption of universal precautions by health care workers is an example of:

A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Specific protection

Question 26

The most common vectorborne disease in the United States is:

A) Malaria
B) Yellow fever
C) Lyme disease
D) Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Question 27

West Nile Virus is an example of which of the following types of illness?

A) Foodborne
B) Vectorborne
C) Waterborne
D) Zoonoses

Question 28

The ability of an agent to produce a severe pathologic reaction is known as:

A) Antigenicity
B) Invasiveness
C) Toxicity
D) Virulence

Question 29

Which of the following has the highest case fatality rate of any known human infection?

A) Influenza
B) AIDS
C) Pertussis
D) Rabies

Question 30

Which of the following diseases is often referred to as Woolhandler's disease?

A) Smallpox
B) Anthrax
C) Tularemia
D) Plague

Question 31

The ability of an agent to enter and multiply in the host is known as:

A) Antigenicity
B) Infectivity
C) Invasiveness
D) Virulence

Question 32

Rocky Mountain spotted fever most commonly occurs in the:

A) Southeast
B) New England
C) Rocky Mountains
D) Appalachian Mountains

Question 33

The ability of an agent to produce a poisonous reaction is known as:

A) Antigenicity
B) Invasiveness
C) Toxicity
D) Virulence