1.

Epidemiology is the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution, and
possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.

2. Core functions of epidemiology include: public health surveillance -- the ongoing, systematic
collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of public health data. field investigation --
may be as simple as a phone call or as complex as a multi-agency response to an event.

3. The purpose of the epidemiologic investigation is to identify a problem, collect data, formulate
and test hypotheses. It involves the collection and analysis of more facts or data to determine
the cause of illness and to implement control measures to prevent additional illness.

4. Propagated epidemic curves usually have a series of successively larger peaks, which are
one incubation period apart. The successive waves tend to involve more and more people, until
the pool of susceptible people is exhausted or control measures are implemented.

5. Stages of epidemiologic investigation:

1. Prepare for field work
2. Establish the existence of an outbreak
3. Verify the diagnosis
4. Construct a working case definition
5. Find cases systematically and record information
6. Perform descriptive epidemiology
7. Develop hypotheses
8. Evaluate hypotheses epidemiologically
9. As necessary, reconsider, refine, and re-evaluate hypotheses
10. Compare and reconcile with laboratory and/or environmental studies
11. Implement control and prevention measures
12. Initiate or maintain surveillance
13. Communicate findings

6. Epidemic Patterns

Epidemics can be classified according to their manner of spread through a population:

 Common-source
o Point
o Continuous
o Intermittent
 Propagated
 Mixed
 Other
A common-source outbreak is one in which a group of persons are all exposed to an
infectious agent or a toxin from the same source. If the group is exposed over a relatively brief
period, so that everyone who becomes ill does so within one incubation period, then the
common-source outbreak is further classified as a point-source outbreak. The epidemic curve
of an intermittent common-source outbreak often has a pattern reflecting the intermittent
nature of the exposure. A propagated outbreak results from transmission from one person to
another. Usually, transmission is by direct person-to-person contact, as with syphilis. Some
epidemics have features of both common-source epidemics and propagated epidemics. The
pattern of a common-source outbreak followed by secondary person-to-person spread is not
uncommon. These are called mixed epidemics.