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case-to-infection ratio

case-to-infection ratio

6.3
A number that shows how many infected people become sick
  • noun
  • /keɪs tə ɪnˈfɛkʃən ˈreɪʃioʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ratio de casos a infecciones
  • Researchers estimated the case-to-infection ratio to determine how many infected individuals actually developed symptoms.

Examples

  • Understanding the case-to-infection ratio helps public health officials assess the severity of an outbreak.

  • A low case-to-infection ratio suggests that many people who become infected do not get seriously ill.

  • The case-to-infection ratio for COVID-19 has been a key metric.

  • What is the current case-to-infection ratio for the flu?

  • A low case-to-infection ratio indicates that most infected individuals do not display severe symptoms.

  • The health department published the case-to-infection ratio to inform the public about the disease's impact.

  • Experts use the case-to-infection ratio to evaluate how many individuals are affected by the virus during an outbreak.

Synonyms

case-to-infection proportion
vscase-to-infection ratio
  • Specialized
8.1

The percentage of infections that become known as cases

gives the general ratio of cases to infections without epidemiology focus

Surface Forms

case-to-infection ratio singular
case-to-infection ratios plural

Morphology

case-to-infection + ratio

This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'ratio' (a numeric relation) of 'cases' to 'infections' is signalled by the 'X-to-Y' pattern. A B1 learner who knows the words 'case', 'infection', 'ratio' (and the prepositional link 'to') can derive the meaning 'number of cases divided by number of infections' without prior exposure; the construction is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Case-to-infection ratio compares the number of cases, people who become 'sick', with the number of infections, people who are 'infected' whether they feel sick or not, creating a clear image of visible versus hidden illness. So it shows what part of those infected actually get sick, which helps health workers see how serious a disease is.