Question

Use the definition of incidence taught in class, and answer the following questions. Be sure to show your work.

1.      Spring fever! Epidemiologists and teachers alike have noticed the cyclic occurrence of the dreaded spring fever. Students afflicted with this disease exhibit certain listlessness in class. And they seem to stare out the windows with remarkable tenacity. Why, it’s almost as if the trees growing outside are more interesting than doing algebra. (Gasp!)

At Metropolitan High School, teachers have been monitoring the situation and diagnosing spring fever. Their observations began with week 0, the first week of May. The teacher’s data are shown in the following table:

Spring Fever Cases: Raw Data

Week	Newly Diagnosed with SF	No SF Diagnosed	IR	IR/100
0	0	1,025
1	105	920
2	180	740
3	390	350
4	325	25

a.       For weeks 1-4, calculate the incidence rates, and express them as decimals.

b.      From your data above, convert the incident rates to rates per 100 and fill in the table with your answers. (Note that week 1 is the first row of changes where calculations should be made.)

Consider the incidence rates you have calculated. Based on these data, when should teachers expect the greatest increases in spring fever?

Answer 1