Epidemiology

Definition

Epidemiology is the study of how diseases spread, their patterns in populations, and methods to control them. It combines statistical analysis, biology, and social science to understand disease dynamics.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Epidemiologists use incidence and prevalence rates to measure disease frequency.
2. The basic reproduction number (R0) helps determine how contagious a disease is.
3. Epidemiological studies can be observational or experimental.
4. John Snow is considered one of the fathers of modern epidemiology for his work on cholera.
5. Descriptive epidemiology focuses on the distribution of diseases, while analytical epidemiology seeks to understand their causes.

Review Questions

• What are the primary goals of epidemiology?
• How do incidence and prevalence rates differ?
• What role did John Snow play in the history of epidemiology?

Related terms

Incidence:

The number of new cases of a disease in a population over a specific period.

Prevalence:

The total number of cases, both new and existing, of a disease in a population at a given time.

R0 (Basic Reproduction Number): A metric used to describe the contagiousness or transmissibility of an infectious agent.