A regional health department is monitoring an outbreak of a newly identified viral hemorrh… — USMLE Step 3

A regional health department is monitoring an outbreak of a newly identified viral hemorrhagic fever in a district. Over a six-month observation period, the health department collects the following surveillance data:

Metric	Count
Total district population	$100,000$
Confirmed cases of the virus	$500$
Total deaths from all causes in the district	$250$
Deaths attributed to the virus	$50$

Based on the data provided, which of the following values best represents the case fatality rate for this viral hemorrhagic fever?

A
$0.05\%$
B
$0.5\%$
$10\%$ Answer
D
$20\%$
E
$90\%$

Answer

The correct case fatality rate is

10\%

The correct answer is

10\%

because the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is defined as the number of deaths caused by a specific disease divided by the total number of diagnosed cases of that disease. In this scenario,

50

patients died out of

500

confirmed cases, resulting in

50 / 500 = 0.10

, or

10\%

Step-by-Step Solution

Identify the formula for Case Fatality Rate (CFR).

CFR = (Deaths from the disease / Total individuals diagnosed with the disease) * 100

CFR measures the severity of a disease by determining the proportion of diagnosed individuals who die from it.

Extract the relevant values from the provided table.

Deaths attributed to the virus =

50

. Confirmed cases of the virus =

500

These are the numerator and denominator required for the CFR formula. The total population and total deaths from all causes are distractors for this specific metric.

Calculate the CFR.

(50 / 500) \times 100 = 10\%

Applying the values to the formula yields the final percentage.

Key Concept

The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is the proportion of people who die from a specified disease among all individuals diagnosed with that disease over a certain period.

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