Lecture 5: Biohazards

• Biohazards: hazards caused by exposure to living organisms and their toxic substances or vector-borne diseases that living organisms may carry.
• Endemic: constant pressure and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent.
• Epidemic: an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that area/population
• Pandemic: epidemic that has spread over several countries/continents.
• Transmission Pathways: airborne, blood/body fluid, vector, food, zoonotic
• Surveillance and Data: serves as an EWS, enables monitoring and evaluation.
• Vaccines: develop immunity in a population.
• Vector Control: prevent disease by limting human exposure to the vector.
• Treatment: focus on treatment of clinical symptoms.
• Education: people at risk should be better informed, steps at individual and community level.