Epidemiology: Introduction & Surveillance Systems

• Study notes on epidemiology from a lecture by Dr. David Salomón Arias Hernández, Universidad Gerardo Barrios.

Agenda

• Focuses on introduction, theme development, and conclusion.
• Looks at conceptualization, objects, uses and application of epidemiology in general and in environmental contexts.
• Explores the evolution and historical context that includes magic, empiric and scientific systems of health.
• Examines the objectives of epidemiology to investigate its principles and history and understand concepts for surveillance system evaluation.
• Recognizes public health surveillance value, identifies surveillance types and applies it to local and regional issues.

Introduction

• Focuses on the obligation to establish surveillance systems to understand population health and disease.
• Epidemiology has evolved to focus on disease and health determinants, also changes in health and disease over time
• Vigilance, an epidemiology branch, has become a complete discipline in public health over recent decades.

Origin and Definition

• Originates from the Greek "epi" (upon), "demos" (people), and "logos" (study)
• Focuses etymologically on "the study of what is upon populations."
• Defined as the study of patterns, causes, and control of diseases in groups.

Definitions of Epidemiology

• It is a discipline that studies the distribution and frequency of diseases or health-related events and phenomena in social groups and factors determining their occurrence and variation.
• Another area of focus is medicine, which studies the frequency, distribution, causes, and risk factors in population groups.

Comprehension of Epidemiology

• The discipline interprets social and economic factors, evaluates diagnostic methods, prophylactic measures, and statistical representation.
• It also involves understanding disease distribution, frequency, determinants, biological/psychological/social/environmental factors including disease consequences.
• Important to note is that epidemiology aims to investigate and address various situations of interest, considering risk distribution, frequency, determinants, and disease controls to mitigate risks

Uses and Interventions

• It is used for health status and determinants surveillance, detection and resolution of health crises, effectiveness analysis, and health service evaluation.

Methods and Focus

• Seeks to pinpoint and understand determinants of health conditions, aims to immediately address diseases, or address multicasual diseases, while promoting population health.
• Broadly associated with statistics and presents two major trends that include individual and population approaches.

Environmental Epidemiology

• Analyzes the environmental influences like air, soil, water which affect well-being.
• Important to consider exposure to contamination, which increases health risks through various periods.

Systems of Health

• Magic health system involves rudimentary frameworks, where the disease is seen as divine punishment.
• The empiric depends on procedural implementation, as the practical experiences are collected through years that demonstrate benefits for a certain determination of any disease
• Scientific provides a higher stage of understanding.
• The pathology uses systemic and methodical interpretations providing ideas and findings classified rationally reflecting science.

Timeline

• 460 a.C., Hippocrates referenced epidemic and endemic terms
• 1580, Guillaume de Naillou published "Epidemiorum," then in 1598 it was referenced for the first time by Quinto Tiberio Angelerio.
• 1650, Thomas Sydenham conducted work on clinical descriptions using statistics
• 17th century, first control actions occurred in Europe emphasizing isolation and quarantine
• 17th century, a plague swept the world where the disease was often considered to be an "epidemic"
• 1662, John Graunt contributed to mortality/natality studies in London, which led to the development of life tables.
• 1850 saw the founding of the epidemiology society.
• 1854, John Snow, considered the father of modern, English-based epidemiology, was a medical pioneer.

John Snow

• English physician and founder of modern epidemiology.
• Studied the 1854 cholera outbreak in London's Soho district
• Introduced modern epidemiological methods like surveys and spatial epidemiology.

Study notes from Dr. David Salomón Arias Hernández's epidemiology lecture at Universidad Gerardo Barrios. Covers conceptualization, uses, historical context, and the evolution of epidemiology. Focuses on establishing surveillance systems for understanding population health, disease determinants, and changes over time.