Community Medicine (PSM) · Communicable Diseases (Malaria, Tuberculosis, Dengue, Polio, Hepatitis, Cholera)

During a dengue vector survey in a town, entomological teams record the number of water-holding containers positive for Aedes larvae out of every 100 houses inspected. Which entomological index does this describe, and at what level is epidemic transmission considered likely?

  • A House index; greater than 50
  • B Breteau index; greater than 5
  • C Container index; greater than 20
  • D Larval density index; greater than 100
Correct answer: B. Breteau index; greater than 5

Explanation

The Breteau index is the number of positive containers per 100 houses examined, and a value exceeding 5 is classically taken to indicate risk of epidemic dengue transmission. House index counts positive houses per 100 houses, and container index counts positive containers per 100 water-holding containers, so both definitions fail to match the stem. The larval density index is not the standard index used in this context.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.

Sponsored

Want to test yourself?

Create a free account for timed mock tests, mistake tracking, and FSRS spaced-repetition revision across 43,000+ MCQs.

Start free → Log in

More Communicable Diseases (Malaria, Tuberculosis, Dengue, Polio, Hepatitis, Cholera) MCQs

See all Communicable Diseases (Malaria, Tuberculosis, Dengue, Polio, Hepatitis, Cholera) MCQs →