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Disease prevention and control
Disease control strategies rely on identifying vulnerabilities within the transmission chain and targeting the weakest links. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, including its prevalence, distribution across time,…
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Investigation of an epidemic
The emergence of an epidemic consistently indicates a significant shift in the prevailing equilibrium among the agent, host, and environment. It necessitates a prompt and comprehensive investigation of cases to identify the factor(s)…
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Effects of environmental pollution
Global warming The planet is undergoing a warming trend, with temperatures increasing globally. The mercury has risen by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) on a global scale and even more…
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Environment sanitation
Introduction The term ‘environment,’ derived from the French word ‘Environia,’ meaning to surround, encompasses both the abiotic (physical or non-living) and biotic (living) elements that constitute the surroundings in which organisms live. In…
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Dynamic of disease transmission
The transmission of communicable diseases involves the transfer of pathogens from the reservoir/source of infection to susceptible hosts. Fundamentally, there are three links in the chain of transmission. Sources and reservoir The onset…
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Ice-Berg of disease
The concept closely related to the spectrum of disease is the iceberg phenomenon. According to this concept, disease in a community can be likened to an iceberg. The visible tip of the iceberg…
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Natural history of disease
Disease results from a complex interaction between humans (the host), the agent (cause of disease), and the environment. The term “natural history of disease” is a crucial concept in epidemiology, representing the way…
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Responsibility for health
Health is, on one hand, a highly personal responsibility and, on the other hand, a major public concern. It involves the collective efforts of the entire social fabric, namely the individual, the community,…
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Determinants of health
Health is multifactorial, influenced by factors within the individual and those external to the society in which they reside. It is a fundamental truth that an individual’s constitution and susceptibility to diseases depend…
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Spectrum of health
The spectrum of health recognizes that health and disease exist along a continuum without a distinct cutoff point. The lowest point on this spectrum is death, and the highest point aligns with the…
