Abstract
The purpose of this research paper it to deliver a basic understanding of epidemiology and epidemiologic investigations. One essential service of public health is the ability to diagnose and investigate identified health hazards in their communities. Epidemiology is an area of study used to identify those health hazards. Founded by John Snow in 1854, the term epidemiology is defined as the study of distribution and determinants of health, disease, or injury among human populations. Epidemiologic investigations are used to identify the problem of an outbreak and collect necessary data to formulate and test hypotheses. All collected information is scrutinized for additional facts/data to determine what the cause of illness is. Once the cause of illness is identified, control measures can be implemented to prevent future illnesses. Additional information delivered throughout this paper will include a further look at the 10 step approach used in investigations, common hindrances to avoid, ethical issues, America’s perspective, and the burden of disease. This information will provide readers with a universal understanding of epidemiology and the purpose of epidemiologic investigations. Keywords: epidemic, epidemiology, epidemiologic investigations, outbreak, public health
Understanding Epidemiology and
Epidemiologic Investigations
Introduction
Epidemiology is a science and method of study of an epidemic. It is the scientific method to
Epidemiology defined: The basic science of public health in which the causing factor, population, frequency, and relevant intervention is found in the case of an outbreak.
The study of disease transmission is the review and examination of the examples, causes, and impacts of wellbeing and illness conditions in characterized populaces. It is the foundation of general wellbeing, and shapes strategy choices and confirmation based practice by recognizing hazard variables for ailment and focuses for preventive human services. ("Epidemiology - Wikipedia," n.d.)
The movie Contagion brings light to the fact that the number of people experiencing panic would largely outnumber new infections, however if epidemiologist didn’t exist there would be no cure for new infections and humanity would fearfully cease to exist. In the movie it took epidemiologist from the CDC in order to get to the bottom of the infection .The conclusion was that a bat who was infected grabbed a piece of banana and perched above a pigs pen, the pig was slaughtered at a market for food and the chef who touched the pig touched the first infected person which lead to her becoming very ill an passing away. These intricate details would not have been possible if it were not for epidemiologist to get to the bottom of things in order to save lives. Ultimately, fear is a factor that will always be around however, from my experience and insight of what epidemiologist really is and what epidemiologist do through prime examples from novel The Ghost Map as well as the movie Contagion helped me gain an even better perspective of how important epidemiology is in order for this human race to exist
Originally, epidemiology was a term that was used to describe the spread of infectious disease. Over the course of time, that definition has expanded considerably in order
Epidemiology has been defined as ‘The study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease-related conditions in populations. It is concerned with epidemic (excess of normal expectancy) and endemic (always present) conditions. The basic premise
Epidemiology, What? Is that even an English word? Epidemiology is the study of health and health concerns in a population with an emphasis on establishing cause and effect. Epidemiology looks at how the disease manifests and spreads through out a population that are a risk and come up with effective prevention and treatment.
Epidemiology is the study of distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems. The epidemiological triad model holds that infectious diseases result from the interaction of agent, host, and environment (CDC, 2012). Disease transmission occurs when the agent leaves the reservoir or host through a portal of exit, are the conveyed by some mode of transmission and enters through and appropriate portal of entry on infecting a susceptible host (CDC, 2012). This sequence is sometimes called the chain of
Epidemiology is study of a distribution and determinants of health related events. The goal of epidemiology is to decrease the spread of a disease, to prevent the disease from spreading amongst a community. For this to be successful the epidemiologist gets knowledge on when and how the disease spread. Also how they will control and treat the patient.
An Outbreak Investigation requires preparation and field work. The epidemiologic steps of an outbreak situation entails establishing the existence of an outbreak (are there more cases than expected), verifying the diagnosis, collaborating with laboratories to find causative agent, conducting an active surveillance, which may include additional cases, analyzing data by time, place, and person (when, where, and who), generating a hypotheses, and conducting a case-controlled study, communicating findings, and implementing control and prevention measures. There isn’t a definitive order to conduct the steps of an outbreak investigation. It usually depends on the circumstances of the outbreak (CDC, 2012).
This paper defines and explains the six core functions of epidemiology: Public health surveillance, field investigation, analytic studies, evaluations, linkages, and policy development. The core functions of epidemiology lay down a foundation on which epidemiologists can begin to work from. This paper will look at the benefits of incorporating all six of these functions into a working plan when health officials, medical personnel, first responders, etc., encounter a disease or illness that needs to be identified, treated and contained.
Epidemiology is what advises people of new world epidemics and new health standards worldwide. Epidemiologist are well known for their ideal way to handle and control epidemics of the everyday modern world by conducting research and going through various experiments. Epidemiology was first well known in the mid-1800´s (1854) but is know to have existed for about 2,500 years
3. List and describe how at least two of the seven uses of epidemiology are applicable to the public health topic(s) presented in the story. (2 points)
This paper will explore the role of epidemiology in the surveillance of the incidence of
The first discussion topic for this course, PHLT: 319 Epidemiology for Health Educators, centered on the definition of epidemiology. Quickly, students became aware that epidemiology was not only the study of disease, rather the “study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in human populations and the application of this study to the prevention and control of health problems”(2013, Merrill, 2). In an effort to reduce major public health events, the bacterial disease, cholera, has been studied over many years by researchers, specifically naming Dr. John Snow. Appendix I titled Case Studies, in Ray M. Merrill’s Introduction to Epidemiology, provides information, incidence and prevalence rates, and protocols for
According to Geoffrey Rose the two approaches of aetiology - the individual and the population approach have their respective roles in prevention. In the first , the individuals who are at high risk are first identified and then provided them with protection. In contrast , the population strategy focuses on the determinants of the incidence in the population as a whole. (Rose , 1985)