Introduction to Epidemiology

Summary

Epidemiology is a set of tools for understanding the burden and causes of health problems in human populations, so that we can make changes that decrease risk and improve health.

Epidemiology can help us identify and understand the factors that influence the emergence, severity, and consequences of health problems.

Epidemiology is defined as the science of the distribution of disease and its determinants (causes).

Human beings have always sought to understand and explain the occurrence of disease and death. The modern approach to epidemiology has developed within the past 150 years.

The modern epidemiological approach to infectious disease focuses on the interaction of the disease agent, the host and the environment.