15 Aug Outbreak Investigation/Surveillance Report part 2 PUBH 625
Resources:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/02-march-2018-cholera-drc-en
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dtM1lQYCdZ8?rel=0&autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3
https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/
PART 2:
- Perform descriptive epidemiology (CDC Steps 6)
- Provide the following information:
- Systematic description of some of the key characteristics of the persons affected (descriptive epidemiology) that includes:
- Time
- Geographic distribution (place)
- Populations affected by the disease (person)
- Develop hypotheses (CDC Steps 7)
- Provide the following information:
- Testable hypotheses
- Things to consider:
- What is known about the disease itself
- Agent’s usual reservoir
- How it is usually transmitted
- Vehicles commonly implicated
- Known risk factors
- Other suspects
- Evaluate hypotheses epidemiologically (CDC Steps 8)
- Provide the following information:
- Evaluation of the plausibility of your hypotheses by one of two methods:
- By comparing the hypotheses with the established facts
- By using analytic epidemiology to quantify relationships and assess the role of chance
- As necessary, reconsider, refine, and re-evaluate hypotheses (CDC Steps 9)
- Provide the following information:
- In the situation in which analytic epidemiology is unrevealing, you should rethink your hypotheses
- Consider interviewing case-patients to look for common links
- Consider new vehicles or modes of disease transmission
- The hypothesis may still need to be honed even when an association between an exposure and disease is identified
- What questions still remain unanswered about the disease and what kinds of investigative study might reveal answers to those questions?
