The attack rate is the proportion of an at-risk population that contracts a disease during a specified time interval, calculated by dividing the number of new cases in the population at risk by the number of persons at risk in that population. Epidemiologists use it both in hypothetical outbreak planning and during real outbreaks, to project the number of infections an epidemic will produce so that resources for medical care, vaccine production and antiviral or antibacterial medicine can be marshalled in advance of need. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Concept ClassSourced to the subject's own accountEpidemiological Measure 1 Connections
Associated With
Both are standard outbreak-investigation measures, tracking how many people are affected versus how many affected people die.
In Branch
Open Questions
Source Wikipedia: Attack Rate
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Attack Rate
WikipediaLead section
the attack rate is the proportion of an at-risk population that contracts the disease during a specified time interval.
Usage section
It is used in hypothetical predictions and during actual outbreaks of disease...It is used to project the number of infections to expect during an epidemic. This aids in marshalling resources for delivery of medical care as well as production of vaccines and/or anti-viral and anti-bacterial medicines.
Formula section
The rate is arrived at by taking the number of new cases in the population at risk and dividing by the number of persons at risk in the population.
View the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
What year did the attack rate originate as a named epidemiological measure?
The Wikipedia article on attack rate cited on this entity defines the measure and describes its use in outbreak investigation and epidemic planning, but names no first use, no originating publication and no individual credited with introducing the term or the name attack rate.
What would resolve this A source tracing the term attack rate to a specific epidemiological or outbreak-investigation publication and naming when it entered standard use, or a scholarly consensus that the term developed gradually with no single point of origin.
History of epidemiologyWikipedia: Attack Rate
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