Case fatality rate

EPYDEMIOLOGY
CASE FATALITY RATE
Case fatality rate refers to the percentage of
deaths that occur among individuals infected or In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, CFR
affected by a particular condition or disease.
has become a major concern. However,
Typically, CFR is calculated by dividing the
calculating CFR can be difficult as the number
number of deaths from the condition or disease
by the number of recorded cases.CFR is often of reported cases and deaths can vary by
used to measure the severity of a condition or country and over time.
disease. However, keep in mind that CFR can
vary depending on many factors, including the
characteristics of the affected population, the
quality of the healthcare system, and adequate
testing capabilities.It is also important to
distinguish between CFR and actual mortality
rate. The actual mortality rate refers to the
number of deaths that occur in the entire
population, while CFR only reflects deaths
among confirmed or reported cases.
Formula for calculating case fatality rate

CFR = (Number of Deaths Due to

Condition or Disease / Number of
Confirmed Cases) x 100
 usefulness of case fatality rate
• Measuring severity: CFR is used to measure
the severity of a condition or disease. This
helps health professionals evaluate the
impact of the disease or condition on the
affected population.
• Health decision-making: CFR helps in
public health decision-making. Information
on CFR can help in determining health
policies, resource allocation, and
preventive measures that need to be taken
to reduce mortality rates.

• Comparison between diseases: CFR

allows comparisons between death rates
• Monitoring epidemiologic trends: CFR is
from different diseases or conditions. For
also used to monitor epidemiologic trends of
example, by comparing CFRs between
a disease or condition. By tracking CFR over
several infectious diseases, we can
time, we can see changes in severity and
understand which ones have a greater
understand the effectiveness of control
impact on mortality.
measures taken.
 the case fatality rate function
Measuring severity: CFR is used
to measure how serious a
condition or disease is in
terms of mortality rates. This
helps in understanding the
potential impact of a disease
on the affected population.
Evaluate the impact of interventions:
CFR can be used to evaluate the
effectiveness of interventions and
prevention measures. By comparing
the CFR before and after the
implementation of the intervention,
we can see the change in the mortality
rate and evaluate the success of the
measures taken.
Comparison between regions or
population groups: CFR allows
comparison of mortality rates among
different regions or population groups.
This helps in identifying health
disparities and focusing prevention and
control efforts on vulnerable
populations.
Health planning information: CFR
is used as a basis for health
planning. By knowing the CFR of
a disease, planning and resource
allocation can be done more
effectively to address high
mortality rates.
case fatality rate example question
In one region, there were 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of these,
there were 25 deaths due to the disease. Calculate the Case Fatality Rate
(CFR) of COVID-19 in the region.

In this case, the number of deaths is 25 and the number of confirmed cases is 500.
CFR = (25 / 500) x 100
CFR = 0.05 x 100
CFR = 5
So, the CFR of COVID-19 in the region is 5%.
 Thanks!

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