have a lowered resistance to disease, thus making them more susceptible to
infections. Many of these patients are said to be “compromised hosts”—they
have breaks in their skin due to accidental or surgical wounds (lesions, bedsores,
or burns). Others may have compromised mucous membranes that line the res-
piratory tract, the digestive tract, or the urinary and reproductive system, mak-
ing them more susceptible to disease-causing pathogens.
Prevention and Control
of Nosocomial Infections
Most hospitals and clinical facilities have control measures and procedures
aimed at preventing nosocomial infections. For a hospital to be accredited, it
must have a designated person responsible for developing and implementing
policies and procedures that would control infections and communicable dis-
eases. This person can be a registered nurse or an epidemiologist.
PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS:
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
Public health agencies have been created in cities, countries, states, and at the
federal level. The United States has recognized the importance of identifying
and controlling infectious diseases since the eighteenth century. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a branch of the United States Public
Health Service (USPHS). The CDC is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the
central source of epidemiological study and information. The CDC is responsi-
ble for the control and prevention of disease, public education, and occupational
health and safety.
Quiz
- The number of people infected by a disease at any point in time is called
(a) incidence
(b) prevalence
(c) morbidity rate
(d) prevalence rate
CHAPTER 13 Epidemiology and Disease^207