Six factors are involved in the transmission of communicable diseases: the infectious agent, the reservoir, route of exit, mode of transmission, route of entry, and the susceptible host. A reservoir is a human, another animal, or a non-living thing (such as soil), where the infectious agent normally lives.

An epidemic is a disease that spreads rapidly among many people in a community at the same time.

An epidemic is when an infectious disease spreads to many people within a community or area. Learn about the biggest outbreaks in United States… What Does It Mean to Declare a Pandemic? The WHO declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic, which means the disease has spread over many regions.

Epidemic refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area. Outbreak carries the same definition of epidemic, but is often used for a more limited geographic area.

The Dictionary of Epidemiology defines an epidemic as “the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy.”[2] Based upon this, diabetes is certainly an epidemic in most countries.

While globalization increases the risk of the spread of infectious disease, it also facilitates more collaboration and better communication that will allow for a more comprehensive global effort towards controlling these diseases.

There are three levels of decontamination: cleaning, disinfection and sterilization.

The elimination of pathogens or other substances from a spoiled implement or surface; there are at least three levels of decontamination, the most effective being sterilization, then disinfection, and the lowest level, sanitization.

The key stages of the decontamination process are:

• pre-sterilisation cleaning.
• disinfection.
• inspection.
• sterilisation.
• storage.

There are 4 main categories of physical and chemical means of decontamination: (1) heat; (2) liquid disinfection; (3) vapors and gases; and (4) radiation.

Methods of decontamination include isolation of contaminants, physical removal, and chemical removal. This process entails removing contaminated equipment and protective clothing and leaving it at the decontamination area.

Prevention of Contamination The first step in decontamination is to establish Standard Operating Procedures that minimize contact with waste and thus the potential for contamination.

The best universal liquid decontamination agent for chemical warfare agents (CWAs) is 0.5% hypochlorite solution. It is prepared easily by diluting household bleach to one-tenth strength (ie, 9 parts water or saline to 1 part bleach).

VX

Fresh 0.5% hypochlorite solution with an alkaline pH is the best available universal liquid decontaminating agent. Liquids are best for large or irregular surface areas. Hypochlorite solutions are well suited for medical treatment facilities with adequate water supplies.

You can still use tap water for decontamination. Any radioactive material that gets into surface water or ground water sources will be diluted to very low levels by the water and will be safe to use for washing skin, hair, and clothing.

Air filtration and radiation mitigation have a long history. Since radioactive fallout is particulate in nature, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission recognized that it could be filtered using mechanical filtration and developed HEPA filtration to protect scientists from exposure to radioactive particles.