Epidemiology Is the study of frequency , distribution and determinants of diseases in human populations. These factors include: Charateristics of various pathogens Susceptibility of different human populations Locations( reservoirs) where pathogens are lurking Ways in which infectious disease are transmitted Concerned with the who, what , where, when and why of infectious disease.
Epidemiologic terminology Infectious Disease- disease that is caused by pathogen Communicable and contagious Diseases Communicable if the Infectious disease is transmissible from one human to another. (i.e., person to person ) Contagious- a communicable disease that is easily transmitted from one person to another
Example: influenza and gonnorhea
Epidemiologic terminology Zoonotic Diseases Diseases that human acquire form animal sources
Incidence and morbidity Rate Incidence- number of new cases of that disease in a defined population during a specific period of time i.e., the number of new cases of pulmonary syndrome in the Philippines during 2013 Epidemiologic terminology Morbidity rate expressed as the number of new cases of a particular disease that occurred during a specified time period per a specifically defined population
i.e., the number of new cases of a particular disease in 2013 per 100,000 Philippine population
Epidemiologic terminology Prevalence Period prevalence: number of cases of the disease existing in a given population during a specific time period
Point prevalence : number of cases of the disease existing in a given population at a particular moment in time Mortality Rate Mortality refers to death Aka as the Death Rate Ratio of the number of people who died of a particular disease during a specified time period per a specified population EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRIANGLE
HOST AGENT ENVIRONMENT Host Any organism that harbors and provides nourishment for another organism Agent the infectious agent or the toxic component that is transmitted from the source of infection to the susceptible body
Environment - The sum total of all external condition and influences that affects the development of an organism Components -Physical Environment -Biological environment -Socio-economic
EPIDEMIOLOGY VARIABLES Time Person Place
Time Refers to the period during which the cases of the disease being studied were exposed to the source of infection Period during which the illness occured
Persons Refers to the characteristics of the individual who were exposed and who contacted the infection or the disease in question Described according to: Acquired characteristics Activities Circumstance which they live
Place Refers to features, factor or conditions which existed in or described the environment in which the disease occured. Described according to street, address, city, municipality, province, region, or county
Epidemiological Distribution of Diseases 1. sporadic 2. endemic 3. epidemic 4.pandemic
1. Sporadic - one that occurs only OCCASIONALLY within the population of a particular geographic area.
- certain diseases occur only sporadically because they are kept under control as a result of immunization programs and sanitary condition.
2. Endemic - disease that are ALWAYS present within the population of a particular geographic area. - the number of disease may fluctuate over time but the disease never dies out completely
3. Epidemic -endemic disease may on occasion become epidemic disease - greater than usual number of cases of a disease in a particular region, usually occurung within a relatively short period of time 4. Pandemic - is a disease that is occurring in epidemic proportions in many countries simultaneously- sometimes worldwide.