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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Outbreaks and Transmission

Incubation period

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

/ˌɪŋkjuˈbeɪʃn ˌpɪəriəd/nounCore term

In public health & epidemiology, incubation period means: The time between being infected with a disease and the first appearance of symptoms.

In Turkish: kuluçka süresi, inkübasyon süresi, kuluçka dönemi

How it is used

Usually given as a range and a median, for example 'two to fourteen days'. It decides how long quarantine and contact follow-up last and helps outbreak teams work out when people were exposed.

Example sentences

  1. Measles has an incubation period of about ten to twelve days before the fever starts.

  2. Because of the long incubation period, cases kept appearing weeks after the event.

Common collocations

  • average incubation period
  • short incubation period
  • median incubation period
  • within the incubation period
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • asymptomaticHaving an infection or a disease without showing any of its symptoms.
  • case definitionA standard set of criteria, such as symptoms, lab results, time and place, used to decide whether a person should be counted as a case of a particular disease.

More terms: Outbreaks and Transmission

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