Question:medium

A susceptible person develops disease within the range of the incubation period after coming in contact with a primary case. This is measured by:

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Measures spread to contacts within one incubation period.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Secondary attack rate
  • Case fatality rate
  • Primary attack rate
  • Tertiary attack rate
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: The description - contacts falling ill within one incubation period after an index case - points to a measure of how readily the disease spreads to close contacts.

Step 2: That measure is the secondary attack rate, which counts susceptible contacts who develop disease within the incubation window after exposure to the primary case, divided by all susceptibles exposed.

Step 3: It is widely used to gauge the communicability of an infection, particularly in household and institutional outbreaks.

Step 4: The case fatality rate deals with deaths and the primary attack rate concerns the first wave of cases, so neither fits; the answer is the secondary attack rate. \[\boxed{\text{Secondary attack rate}}\]
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