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According to this week's reading, epidemiology is the science that studies the distribution and determinants of health-related conditions or disease events in specific populations and attempts to control these health problems on that basis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Epidemiology uses probabilities and statistics to determine the frequency and pattern of health events in populations, and at the same time, it develops and test hypotheses based on scientific fields such as biology, behavioral science, physics, and ergonomics to describe people's health behaviors and events (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).
1. Provide two examples of how epidemiology is relevant in today’s society.
1. Provide two examples of how epidemiology is relevant in today’s society.
・COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and spread around the world within months. Worldwide, more than 640 million people have been infected, and more than 6.6 million have died until now (Worldometers, 2022). Epidemiology will help identify why COVID-19 spread so quickly around the world, where and how people got it, and how to prevent it from spreading. Technological evolution and globalization have made it possible to travel to the other side of the world in one day by plane. So, in this pandemic, the virus spread to more countries and regions as infected people traveled abroad for work or travel. Epidemiology is certainly relevant to today's society.
・Epidemeology in livestock
Epidemiology is applied not only to humans but also to diseases prevalent in livestock and industrial animals that live in groups, and is also frequently used in the field of veterinary medicine. As the world population increases, the livestock industry has developed to realize a stable supply of food, but at the same time, the prevalence of diseases among livestock is also increasing (Sekiguchi et al., 2022). For example, foot-and-mouth disease viruses and avian influenza occur every year in many countries worldwide. The death of livestock and food animals not only has an economic impact on the livestock industry but can also lead to zoonotic diseases. Therefore, if even some animals are confirmed to be infected with those viruses, all animals kept in the same building or the same area are culled in my country.
2. Identify two challenges that continue to exist in epidemiology.
・Epidemiology cannot prevent occurring outbreaks
Epidemiology is only applicable after many people have been exposed to pathogens or chemicals and have had some adverse effects, so it is ineffective at predicting possible adverse events or preventing them from occurring. Epidemiology is the study to prevent the situation from getting worse.
・Globalization
As I mentioned earlier, as globalization progresses, more and more people come across national borders. This has made it more difficult to prevent and monitor the influx of infectious diseases. It is necessary to summarize the vast amount of information from each country and consider the impact on a global scale, but it may be difficult in some regions due to the lack of medical systems.
Questions for peers
・Has globalization affected the COVID-19 epidemic in your country or region?
・Is there any epidemiology unique to your country or region?
(505 words)
Thank you so much for reading, guys.
Nice to meet you all. I am Hannah from Japan. Please feel free to contact me:) Have a nice day!!
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Principles of epidemiology in public health practice: An introduction to applied epidemiology and biostatistics (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/index.html
Sekiguchi, S., Wiratsudakul, A., & Nguyen, V. G. (2022). Editorial: The Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Livestock. Front. Vet. Sci. 8:840635. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.840635
Worldometers. (2022). COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. Worldometer. Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
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