Contact tracing
Contact tracing is a key strategy for preventing further spread of diseases such as COVID-19. Contact tracing is the process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person ("contacts") and subsequent collection of further information about these contacts.
Pronunciation
/kɒnˈtakt ˈtreɪsɪŋ/
Etymology
The term "contact tracing" is derived from the English words "contact", meaning a meeting, communication, or relationship with someone, and "tracing", meaning to find or discover by investigation.
Process
Contact tracing, as an integral part of the public health system, is carried out by trained staff who work with a patient to help them recall everyone with whom they have had close contact during the timeframe while they may have been infectious. Once these contacts are identified, public health workers known as contact tracers communicate with these individuals to inform them of their potential exposure.
Related Terms
- Epidemiology: The study and analysis of the distribution, patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in defined populations.
- Quarantine: A restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests.
- Isolation (health care): The separation of a person or group of people known or reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease and potentially infectious from those who are not infected to prevent spread of the communicable disease.
- Pandemic: An epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents, or worldwide.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Contact tracing
- Wikipedia's article - Contact tracing
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