6  Defining a case

One of the key aspects of an outbreak investigation is establishing the case definition. A case definition describes a set of standardized criteria to determine if an individual should be counted in the outbreak under investigation. The key components of a case definition are who (the individual), where (location), when (time frame), and what (symptoms, diagnostics).

6.1 CDC’s Outbreak and Case Definition guide:

For detailed information on formulating a case definition and example case definitions, see the CDC’s guidelines on developing a case definition: