Discussions throughout this essay will focus on the relevance of epidemiology to public health; firstly the concepts of epidemiology will be discussed alongside two examples of why epidemiology is relevant in the 21st century.
Epidemiology is the study of how frequently diseases rise in different groups of the public and why they happen, evidence gathered via epidemiologists is used to plan and gauge disease prevalence to help evaluate strategies to prevent illness (BMJ, 2017).
Another definition of epidemiology by Kuller (1991) is that epidemiology is the study of epidemics and their prevention. In simpler terms it can be said that epidemiologists measure disease frequency. However, measuring disease frequency is not as modest as it sounds,
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The knowledge of cause and effect can help to predict the outcome of the disease, however, the understanding of the two are difficult to achieve in epidemiology because of the long natural history of diseases, primarily, the purpose of studying them is to produce knowledge to prevent and control diseases (Bonita et al 2006). Therefore, understanding causes and effects gives epidemiology the status of a science.
Epidemiology in the 21st century has great significance, as health problems become more global, a global approach to health is important. Addressing public health problems on a global basis is fundamental to public health, epidemiology and the understanding of disease frequency. Collaboration across the globe has proved to provide a better outcome for public health and the population (Pearce 2013). Descriptive epidemiology embraces a respectable position within the global approach to disease surveillance along with the frequency of diseases, investigating the causes and underlying causes of disease together with understanding the means to control the disease is epidemiology in public health. The idea of epidemiology is that diseases form patterns
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Semmelweiss (1818-1865) mode of reasoning attempts to put the theory underpinning epidemiology, he set out to test a hypothesis on
Communicable diseases are one of the major concerns in public health, as it poses a significant threat to the population. The study of epidemiology allows nurses to understand the cause of the disease and helps determine the levels of prevention to be implemented in order to limit the spread of the disease (Lundy & Janes, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to: a) use an epidemiological model to identify the organism involved in the case study, as well as its pathology, etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis; b) describe the distribution of health events within Schenectady; c) identify the determinants affecting morbidity and mortality; d) determine the deterrents that exists within the affected population; e) calculate the outbreak’s incubation period; f) identify the individuals affected during endemic levels; g) provide a list of foods that were most susceptible to mass contamination; and h) determine the people involved in the food borne outbreak and analyze the possible cause of this occurrence.
study I am going to go into detail about the epidemiology, discuss the signs and
Mathers, C. D. (2006). Projections of Global Mortality and Burden of Disease from 2002 to 2030. Public Library of Science Medicine, 3(11), e442. April 16, 2011. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030442
“Epidemiology is the study of distributing in determinants of disease and disability and populations” (Mausner & Bahn 1974). It’s a basic science of the public’s health and is a measured scientific control that relies heavily on data and study design. Those who study epidemiology focus on specific population and how disabilities and disease affect them. Epidemiological methods have been applied to infectious disease outbreak investigations, but also to studies of longer-term chronic disease investigations. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is the largest telephone survey in the world. It’s used to determine the commandments of many health risk behaviors among populations. Surveys were developed and conducted to mon...
...n Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Feb 2012.
Many epidemiologists usually specialize in one or more of the following specific fields, substance abuse, bioterrorism, injury, chronic disease, or infectious disease. Even though there are different areas of epidemiology that are available, they all
From there, “the minimum educational requirement to work as an epidemiologist is a master’s degree from a school of public health. Some jobs require a doctorate” (“Institute”, 2009 p. 23). Most jobs require a strong background in statistics and the master’s degree to have an emphasis in epidemiology. Any growth within the field usually requires a doctorate. However, simply having a master’s in public health does not guarantee a career in epidemiology. Many other factors are required or heavily encouraged. To determine these factors, current epidemiologists were asked how they achieved success in their jobs in a 2002 survey conducted by Ross Brownson, Jonathan Samet, and Stephen Thacker. The most common positive comments were “the choice of institution from which a scientist graduates, the choice of hot research topics, and hard work. For many persons, access to a strong mentor has been noted as one of the most important career advantages.” (Brownson et al., 2002). Many also stated that an intense curiosity was needed to be successful. In addition, due to the unpredictability of disease, epidemiologists must be willing to work unconventional hours. Therefore, epidemiology is not an easy career to begin. Nonetheless, it can be a very rewarding career. Most people choose epidemiology because they
Mary Louise Fleming, E. P. (2009). Introduction to Public Health. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Even though we have done important things for the treatment, control and prevention of infectious diseases, there are still emerging infectious diseases that are a big problem. One such problem is the relationship between ecology and epidemiology. Ecology is the study of the economy of nature, while epidemiology is the study of the distribution of disease, or other health-related conditions and events in human or animal populations, in order to identify health problems and possible causes. Both of these help to collect data from the field and try to understand how certain organisms survive in their
Epidemiological transition theory is the idea that there are complex changes in patterns of health and disease in relation with demographic and technologic transitions. The original three phases include the age of pestilence and famine, the age of receding pandemics, and the age of degenerative and man-made diseases (Omran, 2005). The age of pestilence and famine is characterized by high mortality due to war, famine, and epidemic outbreaks (Omran, 2005). Very few countries are in this phase as average life expectancy has increased globally. However, in Africa, ongoing conflict and famine continue to plague many populations. In the age of receding pandemics, average life expectancy increases and infectious disease outbreaks become fewer in frequency
In an effort to analyze the natural history of a disease, an epidemiological triangle is used. An epidemiological triangle is comprised of a susceptible host or individual, environment, and a causative agent. The host tends to have low immunity, poor nutrition, and a concurrent disease. The host tends to have poor
In some way, public health is seen as a modern philosophical and ideological perspective based on ‘equity’ and aimed to determine inequitable in society. It seen as a ‘science’ and ‘art’ in the sense that it deals with the cause of disease, treatment of illness as well as it involves laboratory experiments, intervention and promoting of health of the population. Winslow (1920, p. 23) defined public health as ‘the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting physical health and efficiency through organised community efforts for the sanitation of the environment, the control community infections, the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene, the organisation of medical and nursing service for early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and the development of social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health. On the other hand, it is ‘the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised effort of society’ (Acheson, 1998; in Cowley S, 2002, p. 261).
Technological advancement has often outperformed scientific knowledge associated with the causes that determine health. Increasing complications in social organization increase the possibilities by which multiple agents can disturb health, including factors such as those that risk physical health like venomous chemicals or radiation, restricted access to sanitary and pure natural resources, and the infinite amalgamation of them all. Decisions taken in areas apparently detached from health frequently have the prospect to have an impact on people’s health in either positive or negative manner due to a large number of links and connections in modern life. Health is an area comprised of highly intricate systems, which can be accidentally disturbed in unpredictable ways and end up in adverse health concerns that may be serious and irrevocable.
In the 1960s, doctors in the United States predicted that infectious diseases were in decline. US surgeon Dr. William H. Stewart told the nation that it had already seen most of the frontiers in the field of contagious disease. Epidemiology seemed destined to become a scientific backwater (Karlen 1995, 3). Although people thought that this particular field was gradually dying, it wasn’t. A lot more of it was destined to come. By the late 1980s, it became clear that people’s initial belief of infectious diseases declining needed to be qualified, as a host of new diseases emerged to infect human beings (Smallman & Brown, 2011).With the current trends, the epidemics and pandemics we have faced have created a very chaotic and unreliable future for mankind. As of today, it has really been difficult to prevent global epidemics and pandemics. Although the cases may be different from one state to another, the challenges we all face are all interconnected in this globalized world.
Medical anthropologists examine epidemic outbreaks through numerous approaches. According to Joralemon, “Epidemics offer particularly vivid demonstrations of the interconnections between biological, social, and cultural components in the human experience of disease” (2010:29). Many times these approaches cannot function on their own accord and rely on each other to solve the epidemic. It is the job of the medical anthropologist to put all the pieces of the disease puzzle together.