The epidemiology of transmissible diseases after elimination

De Serres, Gaston; Gay, Nigel J. and Farrington, C. Paddy (2000). The epidemiology of transmissible diseases after elimination. American Journal of Epidemiology, 151(11) pp. 1039–1048.

URL:	http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/151/11/1039....
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Abstract

Elimination of an infectious disease is often understood to mean the total absence of cases in a population. This situation can occur only if the entire population is immune as a result of either natural disease or vaccination. However, this costly and unrealistic scenario is not necessary to ensure elimination, more appropriately defined as a situation in which sustained transmission cannot occur and secondary spread from importations of disease will end naturally, without intervention. The authors describe the size and duration of outbreaks caused by imported infections after indigenous transmission has been eliminated. They show that the status of the elimination process can be monitored by assessing the proportion of cases imported and the distribution of outbreak sizes. Measles in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom provides a good example of the relevance of these criteria. Surveillance of the size and duration of these outbreaks enables maintenance of elimination to be monitored.

Item Type:

Journal Item

2000 The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

ISSN:

1476-6256

Project Funding Details:

Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
Not Set	Not Set	Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, Canada

Keywords:

communicable disease control/methods; communicable diseases/transmission; disease outbreaks/prevention & control; epidemiologic methods; immunity; vaccination

Academic Unit/School:

Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Mathematics and Statistics
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Item ID:

23411

Depositing User:

Sarah Frain

Date Deposited:

04 Apr 2011 14:38

Last Modified:

04 Oct 2016 10:44

URI:

http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/23411