epidemiology 3

1. Identifying the extent of the public health problem

With respect to time, diseases rates occur over time and hence descriptive epidemiology results to prediction of an occurrence of a disease with time e.g. influenza data analysis shows it is common with cold weather. Such analysis easily contributes to identifying the causes and actions of prevention of a particular diseases occurrence with respect to a epidemiology period. It also results to critical studies of the patterns and characteristics of a disease with seasonal distribution and pattern to chronic diseases hence creation of long term changes to public health problems (Merrill, 2013, p.120).

Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn identifying the extent of the area public health problem translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic conditions

By organizing similar characteristics of age, gender, inheritance, human activities and their condition of living, descriptive epidemiology determines the persons or group of people who are prone to great risk of a disease infection and susceptibility to death. It enables determination of the incubation period of a particular microbial agent and the modes of transmission from a person to another. For example, it is conclusive that male are generally at a high risks to certain disease infection compared to females because of the differences in genetic, hormonal, inherited genes and other anatomical differences (Merrill, 2013, pp.120-121).

2. Describing the public health problem in a way that can be easily communicated

It enables a public health worker to have technical information more clearly, concisely and at most accurate with respect to the descriptive epidemiology of a disease studied. Hence measures of patterns and trends description of disease and health related problems can be easily communicated as familiarity with the epidemiology allows for effective description and justification in a clear concise manner to those the public promoting measures to be taken in improving health and well-being. Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn identifying the extent of the area public health problem translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic conditions (Regidor et al., 2007).

This provides a direct clear indication of the person prone to infection at a particular predicted epidemiological period

3. Identifying who is at greater risk.

By organizing similar characteristics of age, gender, inheritance, human activities and their condition of living, descriptive epidemiology determines the persons or group of people who are prone to great risk of a disease infection and susceptibility to death. It enables determination of the incubation period of a particular microbial agent and the modes of transmission from a person to another. For example, it is conclusive that male are generally at a high risks to certain disease infection compared to females because of the differences in genetic, hormonal, inherited genes and other anatomical differences. Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn identifying the extent of the area public health problem translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic conditions (Merrill, 2013, pp.145-149).

This provides a direct clear indication of the person prone to infection at a particular predicted epidemiological period.

4. Evaluating program effectiveness

Evaluation of control and prevention measures is another responsibility of epidemiologists. Evaluation often addresses both effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness refers to the ability of a program to produce the intended or expected results in the field. Effectiveness differs from efficacy, which is the ability to produce results under ideal conditions. Finally, efficiency refers to the ability of the program to produce the intended results with a minimum expenditure of time and resources. Evaluation of an immunization program, for example, might compare the stated efficacy with the field effectiveness of the program, and might assess the efficiency with which the acceptable results are achieved (Chen & Orenstein, 1996).

5. Providing clues as to the causes of disease.

By analysis of the data collected based on time, place and persons infected, descriptive epidemiology enables better understanding of the causative agents of a disease affecting an area, the factors favoring the survival of the agent of infection, age supporting it’s incubation period, modes of infection, risks of infection and characteristic seasonality distribution and patterns of the particular health problem. All this greatly contributes to the predictions of the causes of disease as how the disease is spread and agents of the disease survival are studied in depth (Merrill, 2013, p.151).

WC: 983

References:

Merrill, M. R. (2013) Introduction to Epidemiology (6th Edit.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.