What are communicable diseases?
Passed from one living thing to another by pathogens eg. bacteria, virus, parasite, fungi
What are noncommunicable diseases?
Cannot be transmitted by contact (not spread from one person to another)
What are examples of disease transmission routes?
Direct contact Air Indirect contact Food Insects Animals
Define epidemiology?
Study and management of health at the population scale
What are the objectives of epidemiology?
To identify causes of disease and possible risk factors;
To determine the extent of disease in a population;
To study the natural history of diseases;
To evaluate treatments and other healthcare deliveries;
To provide evidence to develop new policies and treatments.
What factors effect the objectives of epidemiology?
Demographic Social Economic Genetic Environment
What 3 associations do you need to look at between disease and factors?
Strength of the association
Consistency of the association
Temporal correctness of the association
What are epidemics caused by?
A feedback loop. Infection makes more infection which often leads to counter intuitive phenomena and results