What term describes an illness with sudden onset that has an intense but short effect on the body?

• A. Acute Infectious Diseases
• B. Life Expectancy
• C. Avian influenza
• D. World Health Organization (WHO)

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the time course of an illness. An illness described as acute begins suddenly and tends to run a brief, intense course. In medical terms, acute means rapid onset with short duration, which fits the description of an illness that comes on quickly and doesn’t last long. When paired with infectious diseases, the phrase “Acute Infectious Diseases” signals illnesses caused by pathogens that present acutely—suddenly and intensely but for a short period. The other options don’t describe this time pattern: life expectancy is a statistic about lifespan; avian influenza is a specific disease; and the World Health Organization is a health organization. So the best match is the term that conveys this rapid onset and brief duration.