Incubation Health Dictionary

The period elapsing between the time when a person becomes infected by some agent and the ?rst appearance of the symptoms of the disease. Most acute infectious diseases have fairly definite periods of incubation, and it is of great importance that people who have run the risk of infection should know the length of time which must elapse before they can be sure whether or not they are to contract the disease in question. A person who has been exposed to infection is, during the incubation period, technically known as a contact. By isolating and watching contact cases, medical o?cers can often successfully check a threatened EPIDEMIC.

It must be noted that diseases are not communicated to others by a person who is incubating an illness. Some diseases, however, such as MEASLES, become infectious as soon as the ?rst symptoms set in after the incubation period is over; others, like SCARLET FEVER and SMALLPOX, are not so infectious then as in their later stages. The incubation period for any given disease is remarkably constant, although in the case of a severe attack the incubation is usually slightly shortened, and if the oncoming attack is a mild one, the period may be lengthened. All, however, may take a few days longer than the time stated to show themselves (see INFECTION), and several – especially WHOOPINGCOUGH – may be di?cult to recognise in their early stages.

Incubation periods of the more common infectious diseases:

The fore?nger or second digit of the hand.

n. 1. the process of development of an egg or a culture of bacteria. 2. the care of a premature baby in an *incubator.