Epidemiology and Public

Health
Epidemiology

Both pathology and epidemiology can be

loosely defined as the study of disease, but they
involve different aspects of disease. Whereas
pathologists studies the structural and functional
manifestations of disease and is involved in
diagnosing disease in individuals.

Epidemiologist- studies the factors that

determine the frequency, distribution, and
determinants of diseases in human population.
Epidemiologic Terminology
Communicable and Contagious Diseases

 Communicable Disease- infectious disease is transmissible from one

human to another.

 Contagious disease- a communicable disease that is easily

transmitted from one person to another.

Zoonotic disease- infectious diseases that humans acquire from

animal sources.

 Incidence- number of new cases of that disease in a defined

population during a specific time period.

 Morbidity rate- the number of new cases of a particular disease that

occurred during a specified time period per a specifically defined
population.
 Prevalence

•Period Prevalence- the number of cases of the disease existing in

a given population during a specific time period.

• Point Prevalence- the number of cases of the disease existing in

a given population at a particular moment in time.

 Mortality Rate- is the ratio of the number of people who died

at a particular disease during a specified time period per a
specified population.

Sporadic Disease- is one that occurs only occasionally within the

population of a particular geographic area.

 Endemic Disease- disease that are always present within the

population of a particular geographic areas.
 Epidemic Disease- is defined as greater than usual number of
cases of a disease in particular region.

Pandemic Disease- is a disease that occurring in epidemic

proportions in many countries simultaneously- sometimes
worldwide.
Interactions Among Pathogens,
Hosts and the Environment
Whether an infectious disease occurs depends on many factors.

1. Factors pertaining to the pathogen:

 Virulence of the pathogen
 Way for the pathogen to enter the body
 Number of organisms that enter the body

2. Factors pertaining to the host

 Health status
 Nutritional Status
 Other factors pertaining to the susceptibility of the host.

3. Factors pertaining to the environment

 Physical factors such as geographic location, climate, heat
cold, humidity
 Availability of appropriate reservoirs
 Sanitary and housing condition, adequate waste disposal
 Availability of potable water.
 Thank You!!!

Patricia Dawn G. Molina

BSN II-A