Epidemiology

DR. SHERYL M. REYES

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.