One aspect of epidemiology Discussion

Epidemic, Endemic, and Pandemic Occurrence of Disease(s)

One aspect of epidemiology is the study of the epidemic, endemic, and pandemic occurrence of disease(s).

Some critics may argue diseases and conditions such as bird flu are endemic in many countries, and some may argue human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS is a series of epidemics.

Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research about the various epidemic, endemic, and pandemic occurrence of disease(s).

Based on your research and understanding, answer the following questions:

At what point does a disease become an epidemic, endemic, or pandemic? What are the parameters that define each of these states of a disease’s effect?
Do you agree that bird flu, HIV, or AIDS could be described as a series of epidemics? Why or why not?
Should we study epidemiology and disease control as a complement to the provision of healthcare services? Why or why not?
Disease control has evolved since the discoveries and achievements of these epidemiological pioneers—Hippocrates, John Snow, Pasteur, and Koch. Explain the impact of at least one major historical contribution on the current status of epidemiological practices. How can history potentially shape and impact our future work in public health and clinical medicine? Explain.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.