Epidemiology 320-ERS-1EPIL

Substantive content:
Definition, scope and uses of epidemiology. The historical context (the epidemic of cholera in London) and achievements in epidemiology (for example the eradication of smallpox)
The definition of health and disease. Measuring the frequency of the disease, the population at risk. Incidence and prevalence. Mortality, death rates and morbidity. Infant and maternal mortality rates as measures of civilization development
Types of epidemiological studies. Observational and experimental epidemiology. Potential errors in epidemiological studies. Ecological fallacy. Mass vaccination for polio (Heine-Medina)
How to establish a cause of disease. Causation in epidemiology. The concept of cause. Correlation is not causation, false ideas about cause
Epidemiology and prevention. Four levels of prevention primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Screening tests. The obligatory screening test for newborns in Poland – the example of phenylketonuria
Epidemiology of communicable diseases. Chain of infection. Epidemic and endemic diseases. The history of large epidemics and how they influenced the history of societies ( Black Death in Europe). The investigation and control in epidemics
Clinical epidemiology. The definition of normality – what is normal? The diagnostic tests and their value.
Solving the cases of epidemic diseases – the cases of bioterrorism, communicable diseases or food poisoning.