Tertiary prevention focuses on ...

• A. Prevent disease occurrence through vaccination
• B. Reduce disability or complications once disease has occurred
• C. Detect disease early
• D. Eliminate risk factors in the population

Answer: (B)

Tertiary prevention is about reducing the impact of a disease once it has already occurred. The focus is on minimizing disability, preventing complications, and helping people regain or maintain function through rehabilitation, optimized treatment, and long-term management. It aims to improve quality of life after illness, rather than preventing the illness in the first place or catching it early.

For example, after a stroke, rehabilitation to improve mobility and independence is tertiary prevention. After a chronic disease is diagnosed, ongoing treatment to prevent complications (like controlling blood glucose to avoid neuropathy in diabetes) also fits this level. It’s not about vaccination or preventing disease onset (that’s primary prevention), nor about screening to detect disease early (that’s secondary prevention), nor about eliminating risk factors across the population (a broader public health goal).