« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Glossary
Antiviral medicine A type of medicine used to treat viral infections such as influenza.
Attack rate The cumulative percentage (or proportion) of a population infected over a specified period of time, for example during an epidemic.
Clinical attack rate The cumulative percentage (or proportion) of a population infected and showing symptoms over a specified period of time.
Containment Measures to limit the spread of infection from an affected area.
Director of Social Work This is intended to cover Director of Social Work/Chief Social Work Officer in every case, but for brevity's sake we do not spell this out.
Epidemic The widespread occurrence of significantly more cases of a disease in a community or population than expected over a given period of time.
Face mask A disposable face mask that provides a physical barrier but no filtration.
Hand hygiene Thorough, regular hand washing with soap and warm water, or with alcohol-based products containing an emollient that do not require the use of water, to remove dirt and germs at critical times, eg after touching potentially infected people/objects and before touching others or eating.
Incubation period The period from entry of infection to the appearance of first symptoms.
Infectivity The extent to which a given micro-organism infects people (or animals), ie the ability of the organism to enter, survive and multiply in people and cause disease.
Malaise general bodily discomfort/feeling of unease
Outbreak A sudden appearance of, or increase in, cases of a disease in a specific geographic area or population, eg in a village, town or closed institution.
Pandemic A worldwide epidemic - an influenza pandemic occurs when a new strain of influenza virus emerges which causes human illness and is able to spread rapidly within and between countries because people have little or no immunity to it.
Phase Any of the stages leading up to a pandemic, as defined by WHO in its global classification. The phases, which run from 1 to 6, are used as a trigger for escalating planning so that the response is proportionate to the risk.
Reproductive number (Ro) The average number of secondary infections resulting from each individual case - the 'basic' reproductive number is the number of secondary cases in a fully susceptible population without intervention. It measures the degree of transmissibility of an infection.
Reciprocity The principle of reciprocity means if people are asked to take increased risks, or face increased burdens, during a pandemic, they should be supported in doing so, and the risks and burdens should be minimised as far as possible.
Some people, including health and social care staff, may face very heavy burdens in trying to help us through a pandemic; it is important to think about how to minimise those burdens.
Surge capacity The ability to expand provision beyond normal capacity to meet transient increases in demand, eg to provide care or other services above usual capacity, or to expand manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand.
Surveillance The continuing scrutiny of all aspects of the occurrence and spread of disease pertinent to effective control in order to inform and direct public health action.
Symptomatic Showing symptoms of disease or illness.
Shed excreting or casting off the virus through their secretions eg having the virus in their body and in their body fluids and sneezing. This sneeze would contain mucus droplets with the live virus which leaves the body in the mucas droplet through the process of sneezing ie the body excretes this virus or sheds the virus.
Transmission Any mechanism by which an infectious agent is spread from a source or reservoir (including another person) to a person.
UK alert level The UK alert level system is triggered once WHO declares Phase 6 on its international scale. Escalation through the four UK alert levels is related to the spread of pandemic influenza in the UK, rather than internationally.
Wave The period during which an outbreak or epidemic occurs either within a community or aggregated across a larger geographical area. The disease wave includes the time during which the disease occurrence increases, peaks and declines back towards baseline.
The Scottish Government
Primary and Community Care Directorate
October 2007
« Previous | Contents | Next »