During a typhoid outbreak, 400 clinically diagnosed cases were reported and 20 of them died. The case fatality rate of this outbreak is:
- A 5% ✓
- B 0.05 per 100 population
- C 95%
- D 20%
Correct answer: A. 5%
Explanation
Case fatality rate equals deaths among diagnosed cases divided by total diagnosed cases, expressed as a percentage: 20 divided by 400 gives 5%. It reflects the killing power of the disease during the stated period and is a measure of prognosis and severity, not population burden. Expressing the result per 100 population confuses it with mortality rate, whose denominator includes the whole population, not just cases.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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