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NM DOH All Hazard Incident Management Glossary
Intro | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ Sources
Download: NMDOH_IM_Glossary_May_2008 
ICU – Intensive Care Unit
Immune Individual – a person producing specific antibodies or cells that protect against infectious or toxic agents.
Immunity – that resistance usually associated with the presence of antibodies or cells having a specific action on a toxic agent.
Infrastructure - An underlying base or foundation especially for an organizational system
In Vitro – in an artificial environment outside a living organism or body. For example, some toxicity testing is done on cell cultures or slices of tissue grown in the laboratory, rather than on a living animal (Compare in vivo).
In Vivo – within a living organism or body. For example, some toxicity testing is done on whole animals, such as rats or mice (Compare with in vitro).
Incidence – the number of new cases of disease in a defined population over a specific time period.
Incubation Period – the time interval between initial contact with an infectious agent and the onset of disease.
Infected Individual – a person or animal that harbors an infectious agent.
Infection – the entry and development (of many parasites) or multiplication of an infectious agent in the body of persons or animals. Infection is not synonymous with infectious disease; the result may be unapparent or manifest.
Infectious Agent – an organism (virus, rickettsia, bacteria, fungus, protozoan, or helminth) that is capable of producing infection or infectious disease.
Infectious Disease – a clinically manifest disease of humans or animals resulting from an infection. (Contrast with communicable disease.)
Infestation – for persons or animals, the lodgment, development and reproduction of arthropods on the surface of the body or in the clothing.
Information Overload – provision of information in excess of cognitive and emotional ability of an individual to process.
Ingestion – the act of swallowing something through eating, drinking, or mouthing objects. A hazardous substance can enter the body this way (see route of exposure).
Inhalation – the act of breathing. A hazardous substance can enter the body this way.
Initial Action – the actions taken by those responders first to arrive at an incident site.
Initial Response – resources initially committed to an incident.
Isolation – physical separation for possible medical care of persons who are infected or who are reasonably believed to be infected or who are reasonably believed to be infected with a threatening communicable disease or potential threatening communicable disease from non-isolated persons, to protect against the transmission of the threatening communicable disease to non-isolated persons.
