Deck 14: Infectious Disease Prevention and Control

Question 1

A community health nurse has recently become involved in surveillance. Which of the following describes the situation that the nurse is in?

A) Educating clients about influenza immunizations
B) Collecting information about occurrence of measles
C) Evaluating the effectiveness of an HIV/AIDS prevention program
D) Advocating for changes in the national disease reporting requirements

Answer 1

Collecting information about occurrence of measles

Question 2

A nurse is teaching members of the community about vertical transmission of a disease. Which route would the nurse most likely discuss?

A) Breast milk
B) Sexual contact
C) Mosquito bites
D) Contaminated food

Answer 2

Breast milk

Question 3

What is immunity a characteristic of?

A) An agent factor
B) A host factor
C) An environmental factor
D) An epidemiologic triad

Answer 3

A host factor

Question 4

A public health nurse (PHN) would like to increase the immunization coverage of infants and toddlers. Which of the following strategies would be appropriate for the nurse to use?

A) Read the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report to learn about vaccinations.
B) Require that children have all their immunizations before going to public school.
C) Track children known to be at risk for under-immunization.
D) Lead teams of health care workers to enforce laws related to immunizations.

Question 5

The ability of an agent to produce a severe pathologic reaction is known by what term?

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

Question 6

A nurse administers a rabies immunization post-exposure to an animal bite. Considering the interventions used with infectious disease, which of the following levels of prevention is being used?

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

Question 7

The nurse teaches food handlers to wash utensils after contact with raw meat. Which of the following best describes the focus of this education?

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

Question 8

A nurse is investigating the role of the agent in the cause of an illness. Which of the following best describes what the nurse is examining?

A) Host resilience
B) Virus
C) Infectiousness
D) Insect bite

Question 9

A nurse is providing information to a local newspaper about the presence of infectious diseases in the United States. Which of the following statements by the nurse is accurate?

A) "It is the goal of the WHO to prevent the transmission of the plague by avoiding direct contact with inflicted individuals."
B) "Rabies is easily spread by contact with animals."
C) "The United States is a certified polio-free country."
D) "The onset of tularemia is characterized by a distinct skin lesion often called a bull's-eye lesion."

Question 10

One case of smallpox occurs in a population in which it was previously eliminated. Which of the following best describes what has occurred?

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

Question 11

A public health nurse (PHN) understands that the emergence of new infectious diseases is influenced by the what?

A) Increased availability of immunizations
B) Globalization of food supplies
C) Decreased use of child care facilities
D) Creation of sanitation systems in third world countries

Question 12

Requirements for disease reporting in the United States are mandated by what entity?

A) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
B) Federal laws
C) State laws and regulations
D) The World Health Organization (WHO)

Question 13

A nurse is working in a health department when a patient arrives who has been traveling to South America and has been diagnosed with malaria. Which of the following considerations should be made by the nurse?

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 14

A nurse is providing education to a mother about the importance of having her infant immunized for measles, mumps, and rubella. Which of the following best describes the type of immunity that will be provided?

A) Active
B) Passive
C) Natural
D) Acquired

Question 15

A community health nurse is caring for a client with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Which of the following should the nurse be aware of?

A) Persons with MRSA usually have a chronic illness.
B) MRSA is a hospital-acquired infection and not often seen in the community.
C) Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRE) follows MRSA.
D) MRSA is becoming more common in the community.

Question 16

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

A) Communicable period
B) Incubation period
C) Infectiousness
D) Endemic

Question 17

A nurse is presenting information to the county health department about potential bioterrorism threats. Which of the following agents would the nurse discuss in this presentation?

A) Smallpox
B) West Nile Virus
C) Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
D) Novel influenza A (H1N1)

Question 18

A nurse is discussing the role of a vector in the spread of disease. Which of the following is the nurse most likely referring to?

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

Question 19

The nurse provides footwear and gloves to leprosy clients to prevent trauma to their insensitive and deformed hands and feet. Which of the following best describes the intervention used by the nurse?

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

Question 20

What causes food intoxication?

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

What is the best method for preventing health care-associated infections?

A) Perform good hand washing before and after approaching every patient.
B) Prevention is almost impossible due to the high infection rates in hospitals.
C) Isolate every patient having surgery.
D) Use contact isolation for every patient at risk.

Question 22

A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with a parasitic infection. Which of the following information should the nurse know when caring for this client?

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

Question 23

A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus. Which of the following types of illness does the client have?

A) Foodborne
B) Vector-borne
C) Waterborne
D) Zoonoses

Question 24

A community health nurse investigates an outbreak of pinworm at a local daycare center. To minimize the spread of infection, which of the following suggestions would the nurse provide to the daycare workers?

A) Close the daycare until all surfaces are cleaned.
B) No action is necessary because it is easily treated with oral vermicides.
C) Using good hand washing is important to prevent the transmission.
D) Every child in the daycare should be treated because they all are probably infected.

Question 25

Which elements of surveillance does a nurse use? (Select all that apply.)

A) Mortality registration
B) Epidemic field investigation
C) Laboratory reporting
D) Individual case investigation
E) Application of research

Question 26

A nurse promotes the use of universal precautions by all health care workers. Which of the following best describes the action that was taken by the nurse?

A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Health care-associated infection

Question 27

What is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States?

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