Category:Describe the outbreak

The core of any outbreak description is formed by the trias "Time - Place - Person": Describe the distribution of cases in terms of time (e.g., onset, duration, and trends), place (e.g., geographical location, setting), and person (e.g., demographics, occupation, risk factors). This is also known as the descriptive epidemiology of the outbreak.

Time

• Epidemic curve: Display the distribution of cases over time, which can help identify patterns, potential exposure periods, and the incubation period of the disease.
• Describe the characteristics of outliers
• Provide background trends of the disease, if the surveillance data are available

Place

• Distribution of place of residence, place of work/school

Person

• Attack rate and secondary attack rate: Calculate and report the attack rate (number of cases divided by the population at risk) and, if applicable, the secondary attack rate (number of new cases among contacts of primary cases divided by the number of contacts).
• Provide distribution of age, sex, gender, occupation,