index patient

noun

plural index patients
: an individual affected with the first known case of an infectious disease or genetically transmitted condition or mutation in a population, region, or family : index case sense 2

Examples of index patient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The index patient went home the next morning, but cookies, chips and fresh grapes in the grocery bag were passed around at the team’s lunch that afternoon. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Health authorities are still grappling with the puzzle of how the index patient in this outbreak, Ali, contracted the disease in the first place. WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023 Used successfully to control Ebola outbreaks in Guinea and Sierra Leone, ring vaccination involves quickly inoculating close contacts of index patients, thereby shutting down a virus’s path to the general population. Dan Werb, Time, 11 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'index patient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of index patient was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near index patient

Cite this Entry

“Index patient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/index%20patient. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

index patient

noun
: an individual affected with the first known case of an infectious disease or genetically transmitted condition or mutation in a population, region, or family : index case sense 2

called also index case-patient

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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