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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Outbreaks and Transmission

Contact tracing

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

nounCore term

In public health & epidemiology, contact tracing means: Finding and contacting people who have been near an infected person, so they can be informed, tested, watched for symptoms or asked to stay at home.

In Turkish: temaslı takibi, temaslı izlemi, filyasyon

How it is used

Used for tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, measles and, most famously, COVID-19. Contact tracers interview the case, list close contacts and follow them up. You do, carry out or scale up contact tracing.

Example sentences

  1. Contact tracing identified 43 close contacts of the first patient.

  2. We need more staff to keep up with contact tracing as cases rise.

Common collocations

  • contact tracing team
  • close contact
  • carry out contact tracing
  • trace contacts
  • contact tracing app
  • index caseThe first case of a disease that comes to the attention of health authorities in an outbreak or a family, leading investigators to look for others.
  • quarantineSeparating and restricting the movement of people who may have been exposed to an infection but are not sick, to see whether they become ill.
  • isolationKeeping people who are sick or known to be infected away from others, at home or in a health facility, to stop the infection spreading.
  • transmissionThe passing of an infection from one person, animal or source to another, for example through the air, by touch, through food and water or by insects.
  • outbreakA sudden rise in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected, usually limited to one place, group or event.

More terms: Outbreaks and Transmission

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.