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Vaccination, Immunization
Vaccination: A medication or shot given to a person or animal to protect from a disease. Immunization: immunity or protection from a specific illness resulting from a vaccination or an individual having had and recovered from the disease.
Screening
Testing or checking to see if a person is healthy or sick
Risk Factor
Anything that makes it more likely, is the reason for, or increases the chance a person or group of people will get sick, hurt, or die. People’s beliefs and attitudes, what they do and don’t do, where they live and work, their age, and family health history are some of the reasons people are more or less likely to develop health problems.
Risk Assessment
Quiz, questionnaire, or other method to find out a person’s or group’s chances of having a health problem
Preventable
Measures can be taken to avoid a given illness or situation from occurring
Prevalent
Disease or condition that is widespread or common in a given region or community
Prevalence
Number or percentage of people with a sickness or condition
Morbidity
Sickness; co-morbidity - multiple sicknesses/illnesses in the same person
Intervention
Actions, treatments, programs, etc. intended to assist members of the community or the community as a whole
Infectious or Communicable Disease
Sicknesses caused by germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that enter the body and grow in number; some of these germs spread from one person to another, and some spread in air, water, food, soil, insects or animals.
Infection
When germs enter the body and cause illness
Incubation Period
Time elapsed between a person being infected (when the germ enters the person’s body) and the first signs of sickness
Incidence Rate
How often an event happens in a group of people in a certain period of time.
Immune System
Body’s natural defenses against germs and sickness, body’s ability to fight germs and sickness
Health Disparities
Differences in health among groups of people.
Hazardous
Not safe, dangerous, harmful, bad, risky
Exposure
Openness or closeness to or not protected from something that can cause harm or sickness; chance of getting sick or being harmed; contact with a chemical by swallowing, breathing, or touching.
Evidence Based
Uses facts, data, evidence, scientific studies, and other objective or scientifically derived information; tested; shown to work; proven to work
Endemic, Epidemic, Pandemic
Endemic: illness withint a particular population, environment, or region. Examples of endemic diseases include chicken pox that occurs at a predictable rate among young school children in the United States and malaria in some areas of Africa. Epidemic: An outbreak of disease that attacks many peoples at about the same time and may spread through one or several communities. Pandemic: When an epidemic spreads throughout the world.
Disease Registry or Registry
A collection of information or list about a group of people with a specific sickness; system for recording or tracking specific sicknesses
Contagious
When germs have the ability to spread from a person or animal to another person or animal
Kontakt
Proximity to or interaction with a person who is or was sick
Community Immunity
A situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely. Even individuals not vaccinated (such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses) are offered some protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community. Also known as herd immunity.
Chronic Disease, Illness, or Condition
A type of sickness that goes on for a long time and often doesn’t go away completely. People’s symptoms may be better or worse over time, and they may use treatments to control symptoms and feel better.
Carcinogen
Something that causes cancer
Bacteria, Virus
Bacteria: 1) tiny one-celled organisms present throughout the environment that require a microscope to be seen. While not all bacteria are harmful, some cause disease.; 2) germs or “bugs” that can infect people, animals, plants, other living things, soil, water, and other parts of the environment; germs that grow and can cause sickness; we can treat these sicknesses with medicines called antibiotics. Virus: germs that need a host, which is a living thing, such as people, animals, or plants, to survive. The germs get into a cell, take it over, and force it to copy the germs so they increase in number and spread through the body.
Air Quality
The composition of air with respect to quantities of pollution therein; used most frequently in connection with "standards" of maximum acceptable pollutant concentrations. Used instead of "air pollution" when referring to programs.
Agent Biological or Chemical
A natural or living thing (biologica) or chemical that can cause an event or result such as disesase, illness, or death
Adverse Events
Possible side effect or reaction after getting a shot or taking medicine
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