After a community feast, gastroenteritis cases appear abruptly, rise sharply, and all cases fall within one incubation period of the organism. The epidemic curve indicates:

• A Propagated (progressive source) epidemic
• B Intermittent common source epidemic
• C Continuous common source epidemic
• D Point source epidemic ✓

Explanation

A point source epidemic shows a steep upswing, a compact peak roughly one incubation period after a single simultaneous exposure, and a gradual decline, exactly as seen after a shared meal. A continuous common source produces a plateau of cases for as long as exposure persists, while a propagated epidemic shows successive rising waves separated by incubation periods as person-to-person transmission continues. Intermittent exposure gives irregular repeated peaks.

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.