Epidemiologists, dedicated medical professionals at the heart of the public health field, monitor the health of populations and search for patterns in disease. They may assist in outbreak investigations or they may examine lifestyle factors and their relationship to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Full Answer
Why is epidemiology important?
Given the significant burden of chronic diseases in the United States, the scientific guidance provided by epidemiology is essential to help public health leaders identify priorities and intervene with evidence-based and effective prevention and control programs.
Is there a role for Epidemiology in chronic disease programs?
Although the role for epidemiology is widely accepted in public health programs in general, its role in chronic disease programs is not as widely recognized.
What is the definition of Epidemiology in public health?
Epidemiology is the study of disease in populations. Veterinarians and others involved in the preventive medicine and public health professions use epidemiological methods for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and observational studies to identify risk factors of zoonotic disease in both …
What is the difference between a clinician and an epidemiologist?
Although epidemiologists and direct health-care providers (clinicians) are both concerned with occurrence and control of disease, they differ greatly in how they view “the patient.” The clinician is concerned about the health of an individual; the epidemiologist is concerned about the collective health of the people in a community or population.
Why are epidemiologic methods important in aquaculture?
Epidemiologic methods are essential to understanding the causation of infectious diseases in aquaculture. Unfortunately, many of these methods are not understood or used by fish-health scientists and aquaculturists — often due to the lack of contact with epidemiologists willing to investigate fish diseases. In this paper, we described several areas where direct interactions between epidemiologists and fish-health specialists have resulted in an improved understanding of the causes and management of infectious diseases in aquaculture. Additionally, diseases in fish populations can be used to develop and test epidemiologic models and facilitate methodologic breakthroughs in epidemiology. We believe that increased dialogue between epidemiologists and fish-health scientists and fish farmers can improve the quality of their laboratory investigations or the production on the farm. This approach will require effort from all sides — but the benefits will greatly outweigh the initial difficulties that may be encountered.
What is the application of epidemiology to fish health?
There are two major areas in fish-health management where formal risk analyses are needed: (1) prevention of introduction of pathogens with the movements of live fish or fish products; and (2) evaluation of interventions at the farm that can influence fish health and production.
What is fish pathology?
Fish pathologists often use experimental-challenge studies, in which the clinical, serologic and pathologic patterns of infectious disease are evaluated. Valuable data on the pathogenicity of the infectious agent as well as the susceptibility and response of the fish can be generated from such studies. Moreover, efficacy of vaccines or therapeutic interventions can be assessed in laboratory clinical trials, where study fish can be challenged with the pathogens under defined and controlled conditions and the effects of extraneous variables are minimized.
How does an epidemiologist work in a fish farm?
A fish epidemiologist needs to monitor in detail all actions and manipulations (either routine or emergency) in a fish farm. Observational studies (especially long-term ones) have to be designed so that they incorporate these actions and any anticipated changes. Furthermore, because fish are often very sensitive to stress (especially when handled) it is often expected that help from farm personnel will be needed during many procedures involving manipulation or evaluation of fish populations. This means that personnel availability for any extra activities required for the study has to be considered and accounted for in the study design. Any such activities have to be scheduled well in advance. The limits of “flexibility” of this schedule have to be predetermined, because compromises will always be necessary and the epidemiologist will need to make sure that these will not jeopardize study findings. Production is always the first priority of the farm; determination of a final study design should be done in close consultation with the farm managers and personnel.
What is fish population?
Fish populations, especially in intensive aquaculture, are usually large, well defined and often homogeneous collections of individuals, residing in tanks, ponds or raceways. Many types of studies can be designed and conducted in fish populations to take advantage of specific production systems and respective rearing characteristics. Several different approaches, study types and models can be used within the same farm or part of a farm, providing a wealth of information.
What is epidemiology in health?
Many definitions have been proposed, but the following definition captures the underlying principles and public health spirit of epidemiology: Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems ( 1 ).
How do epidemiologists and health care providers differ?
Although epidemiologists and direct health-care providers (clinicians) are both concerned with occurrence and control of disease, they differ greatly in how they view “the patient.” The clinician is concerned about the health of an individual; the epidemiologist is concerned about the collective health of the people in a community or population. In other words, the clinician’s “patient” is the individual; the epidemiologist’s “patient” is the community. Therefore, the clinician and the epidemiologist have different responsibilities when faced with a person with illness. For example, when a patient with diarrheal disease presents, both are interested in establishing the correct diagnosis. However, while the clinician usually focuses on treating and caring for the individual, the epidemiologist focuses on identifying the exposure or source that caused the illness; the number of other persons who may have been similarly exposed; the potential for further spread in the community; and interventions to prevent additional cases or recurrences.
What are the behaviors that epidemiologists look for?
Then epidemiologists began to look at behaviors related to health and well-being, such as amount of exercise and seat belt use. Now, with the recent explosion in molecular methods, epidemiologists can make important strides in examining genetic markers of disease risk.
What is epidemiology distribution?
Distribution. Epidemiology is concerned with the frequency and pattern of health events in a population: Frequency refers not only to the number of health events such as the number of cases of meningitis or diabetes in a population, but also to the relationship of that number to the size of the population.
What is the definition of determinants in epidemiology?
Determinant: any factor, whether event, characteristic, or other definable entity, that brings about a change in a health condition or other defined characteristic. Epidemiology is also used to search for determinants, which are the causes and other factors that influence the occurrence of disease and other health-related events.
What are the 5 W's of epidemiology?
The difference is that epidemiologists tend to use synonyms for the 5 W’s: diagnosis or health event (what), person (who), place (where), time (when), and causes, risk factors, and modes of transmission (why/how). The word epidemiology comes from the Greek words epi, meaning on or upon, demos, meaning people, and logos, meaning the study of.
What were the epidemiologic methods developed in the 20th century?
By the middle of the 20th Century, additional epidemiologic methods had been developed and applied to chronic diseases, injuries, birth defects, maternal-child health, occupational health, and environmental health.
What is the role of epidemiology in public health?
The role of epidemiology in public health. Epidemiology is the study of disease in populations. Veterinarians and others involved in the preventive medicine and public health professions use epidemiological methods for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and observational studies to identify risk factors of zoonotic disease in both ….
What is epidemiology in medicine?
Epidemiology is the study of disease in populations. Veterinarians and others involved in the preventive medicine and public health professions use epidemiological methods for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and observational studies to identify risk factors of zoonotic disease in both human and animal populations.
What is HACCP in epidemiology?
The use of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems depends greatly on information produced by epidemiological studies. Epidemiological methods are used for disease surveillance to identify which hazards are the most important.
Answer
Through the use of a case-control study, the cause which is insects could be found.
New questions in Health
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Study
- Epidemiology is a scientific discipline with sound methods of scientific inquiry at its foundation. Epidemiology is data-driven and relies on a systematic and unbiased approach to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Basic epidemiologic methods tend to rely on careful observation and use of valid comparison groups to assess whether what was observed, such a…
Distribution
- Epidemiology is concerned with the frequency and patternof health events in a population: Frequencyrefers not only to the number of health events such as the number of cases of meningitis or diabetes in a population, but also to the relationship of that number to the size of the population. The resulting rate allows epidemiologists to compare disease occurrence across dif…
Determinants
- Epidemiology is also used to search for determinants, which are the causes and other factors that influence the occurrence of disease and other health-related events. Epidemiologists assume that illness does not occur randomly in a population, but happens only when the right accumulation of risk factors or determinants exists in an individual. To s...
Health-Related States Or Events
- Epidemiology was originally focused exclusively on epidemics of communicable diseases (3) but was subsequently expanded to address endemic communicable diseases and non-communicable infectious diseases. By the middle of the 20th Century, additional epidemiologic methods had been developed and applied to chronic diseases, injuries, birth defects, maternal-child health, oc…
Specified Populations
- Although epidemiologists and direct health-care providers (clinicians) are both concerned with occurrence and control of disease, they differ greatly in how they view “the patient.” The clinician is concerned about the health of an individual; the epidemiologist is concerned about the collective health of the people in a community or population. In other words, the clinician’s “patie…
Application
- Epidemiology is not just “the study of” health in a population; it also involves applying the knowledge gained by the studies to community-based practice. Like the practice of medicine, the practice of epidemiology is both a science and an art. To make the proper diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment for a patient, the clinician combines medical (scientific) knowledge with e…
Summary
- Epidemiology is the study (scientific, systematic, data-driven) of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specified populations (patient is community, individuals viewed collectively), and the application of (since epidemiology is a discipline within public health) this study to the control o…