mass action principle
mass action principle
a basic tenet of epidemiology, which relates the incidence of an epidemic disease in a given population to the number of current cases, the number of susceptible people, and the infection transmission parameter.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
mass ac·tion prin·ci·ple
(mas ak'shŭn prin'si-pĕl)The fundamental principle in epidemic theory: the incidence of an infectious disease is determined by the product of the current prevalence and the number of susceptibles in the population.
See also: serial interval, infection transmission parameter
See also: serial interval, infection transmission parameter
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012