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antigenic drift
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when viruses undergo minor mutations each year, such as the influenza A viruses
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antigenic shift
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when viruses undergo a major mutation; has occurred with flu viruses four times over the past 100 years
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case definition
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a set of criteria used to define a disease for the purpose of public health surveillance
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case surveillance
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when public health agencies collect information about an individual diagnosed with a health condition that could potentially pose a health threat to others
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emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)
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diseases that are newly affecting populations or diseases that have existed previously but only caused isolated disease that are now increasing in incidence and geographic range
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erythema migrans (EM)
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also known as the “bull’s eye” rash of Lyme disease; is erythematous, annular, and homogenous at the site of the actual tick bite and expands over several days to sizes greater than 5 centimeters in diameter with a central clearing as the rash expands
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infectious
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easily transmitted between individuals
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infectious disease
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disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi; enters a human host, multiplies, and causes infection that can spread to others
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microcephaly
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condition where a baby’s head is smaller than expected, impacting brain development
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nationally notifiable condition
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a disease required by law to be reported to government authorities, allowing for case surveillance to assess transmission patterns and determine interventions to control outbreaks
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pandemic
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an epidemic that spreads worldwide
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pathogenicity
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the potential ability to cause disease; the more pathogenic an agent is, the greater the ability it has to cause disease in a susceptible host
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public health surveillance
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the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data essential to planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice
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vectors
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living organisms, such as ticks and mosquitoes, that can transmit infectious pathogens to humans