Lecture 2 - Epidemiology (Cause and Effect)

Question 1

What are the purposes of epidemiology?

Answer 1

learn about the history, clinical course, or pathogenesis of a disease in an individual and community

Question 2

What are some outcomes of using epidemiology?

Answer 2

Determining cause of disease, determining cause of death, determining survival, puberty, quitting smoking, helmet use, side effects, remission

Question 3

List 5 ways epidemiology can be used in veterinary medicine and public health.

Answer 3

1. Set priorities for research/investigations/control
2. Help in deciding where preventative efforts go
3. Determining the cause of the disease
4. Evaluation therapies/drugs/procedures
5. Alert to potential crises/threats in health care

Question 4

Define endemic.

Answer 4

the constant presence of a disease or infectious agent within a given geographic area or population group

Question 5

Define epidemic.

Answer 5

the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness with a frequency clearly in excess of normal expectancy

Question 6

Define pandemic.

Answer 6

an epidemic illness that moves across continents

Question 7

Provide an example of an endemic disease in the United States. (Example he used in class)

Answer 7

Tuberculosis

Question 8

Provide an example of an epidemic disease. (Example he used in class)

Answer 8

foodborne outbreaks

Question 9

Provide an example of a pandemic disease. (Example used in class

Answer 9

Influenza or the plague

Question 10

What is herd immunity?

Answer 10

the immunity of a population, and hence the resistance of that population to invasion and spread of an infectious agent based on the resistance to infection of a high proportion of individuals

Question 11

What is R0?

Answer 11

the number of people that one sick person will infect on average

Question 12

What is association?

Answer 12

statistical dependence between two variables

Question 13

True or False: Association implies cause and effect.

Answer 13

false - it does not

Question 14

What are the criteria for causation?

Answer 14

strength, consistency, repeatable, temporality, biological plausibility, cessation of exposure

Question 15

What is the strongest criteria for causation?

Answer 15

temporality

Question 16

What did John Snow study?

Answer 16

Mapping cholera cases in 19th century London & testing his hypothesis that water was the source

Question 17

What did Ignas Semmelweirs study?

Answer 17

Work on puerperal fever in obstetric wards & implementing hand washing to reduce mortality