Infectious Disease Control

noun a highly contagious bacterial disease of the respiratory tract characterized by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath

• The outbreak of whooping cough in the community has prompted health officials to recommend vaccination for all residents.
• I heard that Sarah's baby was diagnosed with whooping cough, poor thing.
• Whooping cough is going around the school, so make sure you wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough.
• The whooping cough of misinformation spread quickly through social media, causing panic and confusion.

noun a job title for someone who performs contact tracing

• The contact tracer called to inform me that I had been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
• The contact tracer reached out to let me know I might have been exposed to the virus.
• The contact tracer hit me up about a possible COVID-19 exposure.
• The contact tracer was like a detective, tracking down all my recent interactions to prevent the spread of the virus.

noun a mathematical term used in epidemiology to represent the average number of secondary infections produced by a single infected individual in a susceptible population

adjective related to the basic reproduction number in epidemiology

• The R0 value of the virus is a crucial factor in determining its potential for spread within a population.
• I heard the R0 for the new strain is really high, so we need to be extra cautious.
• Did you see the R0 on that flu strain? It's no joke, man.
• The R0 of misinformation can be just as damaging as a contagious disease spreading through a community.

noun the process of tracking down and monitoring individuals who have come into contact with an infected person

• Contact tracing is a crucial method used by public health officials to track and contain the spread of infectious diseases.
• They're doing contact tracing to find out who else might have been exposed.
• Contact tracing is like detective work to identify and notify people who may have come into contact with a contagious person.
• In the world of public health, contact tracing is akin to following the breadcrumbs to stop the spread of illness.