Lethality Rate

English: lethality rate, lethality

Lethality = number of deaths / over number of sick with a specific disease (x100) It is also known as Case fatality rate. It is the proportion of cases in a designated population of a particular disease, which die in a specified period of time.

Note: lethality is a better measure of clinical significance of the disease than mortality. For example: Naegleria fowleri has a much higher lethality (it will surely kill you once you get it), than heart attacks who have a higher mortality, that is, more people die from heart attacks (due to much higher prevalence of cardiac disease) rather than from N. fowleri infection (very low prevalence).

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• Basic Health Indicators

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• BENCKO, Vladimír, et al. Hygiene and Epidemiology : Selected Chapters. 2nd edition. Prague. 2004. ISBN 80-246-0793-X.