	Module I

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	Introduction - Purpose - Tools & Applications - Influencing Factors - Infectious Diseases - Objectives
	Key Epi Terms - Epidemiology - Patterns of Infectious Disease - Natural History of Disease
	Evolution of Epidemiology - Supernatural Causation - Environmental Explanations - Host Factors - Toward a Modern Approach - Modern Epidemiology
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Key Epidemiological Terms

Epidemiology

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Epidemiology is derived from three Greek root words

EPI          on, upon
DEMOS    people
LOGY       study

Epidemiology is, thus, the study of what is upon the people. In modern terms, it is the science of the distribution of disease and its determinants (causes).

Epidemiology is also a process that uses the facts at hand as clues to point to new knowledge and solutions. Epidemiologists have been called “disease detectives” and “medical sleuths” for this reason.