Guests at a wedding lunch served at 1 pm began vomiting with abdominal cramps from 3 pm, most cases starting by 5 pm. No one had fever. Which agent is most likely?

Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin

A 6-year-old was bitten on the cheek by a stray dog an hour ago. The bite broke the skin and bled. The wound has been washed. What is the most appropriate next step?

Infiltrate rabies immunoglobulin into the wound and start vaccine

Suture the wound now and start rabies vaccine

Observe the dog for 10 days before deciding on vaccine

Start rabies vaccine and observe the dog for 10 days

A woman who is 20 weeks pregnant has fever and a blood smear positive for Plasmodium vivax. What is the correct treatment?

Chloroquine for 3 days; primaquine is withheld

A single dose of primaquine with quinine

Chloroquine for 3 days plus primaquine for 14 days

A nurse performs a tourniquet test on a patient with suspected dengue whose blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. The correct method and reading are:

Inflate to 100 mmHg for 5 minutes; positive if 10 or more petechiae per square inch

Inflate to 80 mmHg for 10 minutes; positive if 20 or more petechiae per square inch

Inflate to 120 mmHg for 5 minutes; positive if 10 or more petechiae per square inch

Inflate to 100 mmHg for 1 minute; positive if any petechiae appear on the forearm

A patient with dengue has been febrile for four days. Today the fever has come down. Which finding most strongly suggests that plasma leakage has begun?

Rising haematocrit with a falling platelet count

Low white cell count with a normal haematocrit

Rash on the limbs with itching of the palms

Falling haematocrit with a rising platelet count

Communicable diseases and their control

10 AIIMS NORCET (Nursing Officer) practice questions on Communicable diseases and their control, part of Community Health Nursing. The first 10 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Hard
Guests at a wedding lunch served at 1 pm began vomiting with abdominal cramps from 3 pm, most cases starting by 5 pm. No one had fever. Which agent is most likely?
1. AHepatitis A virus
2. BStaphylococcus aureus enterotoxin
3. CVibrio cholerae
4. DSalmonella Typhimurium
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Answer: B · Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin
All cases followed one meal and appeared within a few hours, so this is a point-source outbreak with a very short incubation period of 2-4 hours. Staphylococcal enterotoxin, already formed in the food, causes vomiting and cramps 1-6 hours after eating, usually without fever. Salmonella takes 12-36 hours and causes fever and diarrhoea. The food handler's hands and skin lesions should be checked as the likely source.
- A: Hepatitis A has an incubation of 2-6 weeks.
- C: Cholera takes hours to five days and causes profuse watery diarrhoea rather than early vomiting.
- D: Salmonella has an incubation of 12-36 hours and usually causes fever.
Question 2 · Hard
A 6-year-old was bitten on the cheek by a stray dog an hour ago. The bite broke the skin and bled. The wound has been washed. What is the most appropriate next step?
1. ASuture the wound now and start rabies vaccine
2. BInfiltrate rabies immunoglobulin into the wound and start vaccine
3. CObserve the dog for 10 days before deciding on vaccine
4. DStart rabies vaccine and observe the dog for 10 days
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Answer: B · Infiltrate rabies immunoglobulin into the wound and start vaccine
A transdermal bite that bleeds is a Category III exposure, and a bite on the face is especially dangerous because it is close to the brain. Category III needs rabies immunoglobulin infiltrated into and around the wound, plus a full course of anti-rabies vaccine starting on day 0. Waiting to observe the dog is unsafe; vaccination can be stopped later if the dog stays healthy for 10 days. Suturing is avoided or delayed until after the immunoglobulin is given.
- A: Immediate suturing drives virus deeper and is avoided until after immunoglobulin.
- C: Waiting for the dog's outcome delays protection after a Category III bite.
- D: Vaccine alone is enough for Category II only, not a bleeding bite on the face.
Question 3 · Medium
A woman who is 20 weeks pregnant has fever and a blood smear positive for Plasmodium vivax. What is the correct treatment?
1. AChloroquine for 3 days; primaquine is withheld
2. BPrimaquine alone for 14 days
3. CA single dose of primaquine with quinine
4. DChloroquine for 3 days plus primaquine for 14 days
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Answer: A · Chloroquine for 3 days; primaquine is withheld
Vivax malaria is treated with chloroquine for three days. Primaquine, which clears the liver hypnozoites and prevents relapse, is contraindicated in pregnancy and in infants, because it can cause haemolysis in a G6PD-deficient foetus. The woman is given chloroquine now and the radical cure is deferred until after delivery and breastfeeding. Relapses during pregnancy are treated with chloroquine again.
- B: Primaquine alone does not clear the blood stage that causes the fever.
- C: Single-dose primaquine is a gametocidal measure for falciparum and is also avoided in pregnancy.
- D: Primaquine for 14 days is the radical cure for non-pregnant adults, not in pregnancy.
Question 4 · Hard
A nurse performs a tourniquet test on a patient with suspected dengue whose blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. The correct method and reading are:
1. AInflate to 80 mmHg for 10 minutes; positive if 20 or more petechiae per square inch
2. BInflate to 120 mmHg for 5 minutes; positive if 10 or more petechiae per square inch
3. CInflate to 100 mmHg for 5 minutes; positive if 10 or more petechiae per square inch
4. DInflate to 100 mmHg for 1 minute; positive if any petechiae appear on the forearm
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Answer: C · Inflate to 100 mmHg for 5 minutes; positive if 10 or more petechiae per square inch
The cuff is inflated to a pressure midway between systolic and diastolic, here (120 + 80) / 2 = 100 mmHg, and kept there for 5 minutes. After releasing the cuff and waiting for the skin to return to normal, petechiae are counted in a 2.5 cm (one inch) square. Ten or more petechiae per square inch is a positive test, showing capillary fragility. A positive test supports the diagnosis but does not alone grade severity.
- A: 80 mmHg is the diastolic pressure, and 20 petechiae is not the cut-off.
- B: 120 mmHg is the systolic pressure, not the midpoint between systolic and diastolic.
- D: One minute is too short, and a single petechia is not a positive test.
Question 5 · Medium
A patient with dengue has been febrile for four days. Today the fever has come down. Which finding most strongly suggests that plasma leakage has begun?
1. ALow white cell count with a normal haematocrit
2. BRash on the limbs with itching of the palms
3. CFalling haematocrit with a rising platelet count
4. DRising haematocrit with a falling platelet count
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Answer: D · Rising haematocrit with a falling platelet count
The critical phase of dengue starts around defervescence, usually days 3-7, when capillary leakage may begin. A rising haematocrit (a rise of 20% or more) together with a rapid fall in platelets is the key sign of plasma leakage. It may be followed by pleural effusion, ascites and shock. The nurse should report it at once and monitor vital signs and urine output closely.
- A: Leucopenia is common early in dengue and does not show leakage.
- B: The itchy convalescent rash appears in the recovery phase.
- C: A falling haematocrit with rising platelets suggests recovery or bleeding, not leakage.
Question 6 · Medium
A man has seven hypopigmented patches with loss of sensation on his trunk and limbs. His slit-skin smear is negative. How should his leprosy be classified for treatment?
1. AMultibacillary leprosy
2. BIndeterminate leprosy
3. CPure neuritic leprosy
4. DPaucibacillary leprosy
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Easy
Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue and chikungunya, usually bites:
1. ADuring the day
2. BOnly at high altitude
3. COnly around midnight
4. DMainly in the rainy night
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Easy
The most important first aid for a dog bite wound, to reduce the risk of rabies, is to:
1. ACover it with a thick layer of turmeric paste
2. BApply a tight tourniquet above the wound
3. CSuture the wound at once to stop the bleeding
4. DWash it with soap and running water for 15 minutes
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Medium
A patient with sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis is admitted to a general ward. Which precaution is most appropriate?
1. AContact precautions with gloves and gown only
2. BStandard precautions alone in the open ward
3. CAirborne room, N95 for staff, mask for the patient
4. DDroplet precautions with a surgical mask for staff
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Easy
During a COVID-19 outbreak, a healthy person who had close contact with a confirmed case is kept apart from others for the longest incubation period. This measure is called:
1. ASegregation
2. BSurveillance
3. CQuarantine
4. DIsolation
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

Communicable diseases and their control

Guests at a wedding lunch served at 1 pm began vomiting with abdominal cramps from 3 pm, most cases starting by 5 pm. No one had fever. Which agent is most likely?

A 6-year-old was bitten on the cheek by a stray dog an hour ago. The bite broke the skin and bled. The wound has been washed. What is the most appropriate next step?

A woman who is 20 weeks pregnant has fever and a blood smear positive for Plasmodium vivax. What is the correct treatment?

A nurse performs a tourniquet test on a patient with suspected dengue whose blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. The correct method and reading are:

A patient with dengue has been febrile for four days. Today the fever has come down. Which finding most strongly suggests that plasma leakage has begun?

A man has seven hypopigmented patches with loss of sensation on his trunk and limbs. His slit-skin smear is negative. How should his leprosy be classified for treatment?

Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue and chikungunya, usually bites:

The most important first aid for a dog bite wound, to reduce the risk of rabies, is to:

A patient with sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis is admitted to a general ward. Which precaution is most appropriate?

During a COVID-19 outbreak, a healthy person who had close contact with a confirmed case is kept apart from others for the longest incubation period. This measure is called: