Epidemiology

Activity: 1.You will need to wear gloves for all class activities today. 2.Pick a random identification card up from the front desk (record this ID code in Table 3). 3.Switch cards with your partners (record your new code in Table 3). 4.Pass your card to another group and take theirs (record your final code in Table 3). 5.That’s it for now!

Study of disease in populations Study of patterns, causes and control of disease in populations The branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations. The study of the spread of diseases within and between populations. What is Epidemiology?

Hawai`i’s Department of Health (DOH) Mission: To provide leadership to monitor, promote, protect and enhance the health and environmental well-being of people who live in Hawai`i

Public Health and Epidemiology Public Health: –The science and practice of protecting and improving the health of a community Epidemiology: –The branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations Epidemic –An outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely

Characteristics of an epidemic Highly contagious High mortality Spreads rapidly Unknown or poor prevention mechanism EBOLA

To Consider: Rapid fatality tends to limit the spread of a disease Mutations can quickly overcome existing immune barriers Not all countries are willing to admit there is a serious problems and this can delay containment Political recognition may hamper information gathering (e.g., Taiwan and China-SARS)

Smallpox Hemorrhagic Fevers (e.g., Ebola, Dengue) Flu Cholera HIV/AIDS SARS Bird Flu Tuberculosis Leprosy Bubonic plague Measles and more… Examples:

Class Exercise 1

You will study portals of entry, methods of transmission, and control of infectious diseases. In addition, using the internet you will examine the CDC’s method of reporting, tracking and controlling epidemics.

Class Exercise 1: Work as a team (2 students /group) Select 1 infectious diseases from the Table 1 labeled Nationally Notifiable Infectious Diseases. Conduct a web search and fill out Epidemiology Worksheet. Report findings to class

Name(s) of the disease Causative agent (e.g., virus, bacterium, protist, fungus) Mode of transmission (including whether caregivers are at high risk) Degree of infectiousness Symptoms Treatment Mortality statistics Disease Characterization:

Preventative measures (e.g., immunization programs, public health practices) Major historical events (e.g., date, location, total deaths, speed of spread) Notification network (e.g., who is keeping track) Current threats (e.g., outbreaks—recent changes in abundance, reservoirs) Historical Epidemiology:

Local Impact: Are caregivers at an especially high risk? Is the local population at particularly high risk (e.g., lots of elderly, children)? Is there a history of this disease in Hawai`i?

Mystery Exercise 2

Track the spread of a contaminant One of your classmates is the carrier of a harmless pathogen. Your instructor knows the identity of the carrier. It is up to you to determine who it is!

Track the spread of a contaminant 1.Use a UV florescent black light to determine if you have contracted the “infectious agent.” 2.If your gloved hand fluoresces under the light, you or one of your contacts is a carrier of the disease.

Q1. How many students have contracted the infectious agent? Q2. What percentage of the student groups does that cover? Q3. Who are the suspected carriers (they would be common among the groups whose hand fluoresced)? Codes: Q4. Can you determine the primary source(s), the spreading point(s), of the infection? Questions

What are some things you can do to reduce the spread of disease?

Hand washing time! Time to answer the question: “How clean are your hands?”

Hand washing time! Place a few drops of a fluorescent dye on your palm. Rub your hands together front and back. Scratch your palm with your nails. Look at them under a UV light. Go wash and look at them again. How well did you do?

HOMEWORK

Homework Assignment Chose 1 of the diseases listed on Table 3. Fill-out the same epidemiology worksheet you you used in class. Please type it. Visit the suggested link and use the suggested resources (as well as other resources) to answer your worksheet. You must include any additional resources used for your homework assignment. Turn in next class.