Introduction to Epidemiology (BHS 210)

Introduction to Epidemiology
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Introduction to Epidemiology
Epidemiology, as a public health discipline, is generally infused with the idea that epidemiologic information has to be utilized in promoting and protecting the health of the public. Epidemiology therefore involves not only science, but also public health practice. In keeping with the epidemiologic triad, there are 3 factors which actually influence the occurrence of a particular disease. These include etiologic agent; host factors; and environmental factors. Salmonella is a bacterium which could cause diarrheal disease in humans. For a Salmonella food borne outbreak, the three factors are described below.
Etiologic agent: Salmonella gastroenteritis
For a Salmonella food borne outbreak, the etiologic agent is gastroenteritis which is of genus Salmonella, a rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium. It is of note that Salmonellosis is usually transmitted from foods that are contaminated for instance poultry, eggs, meat as well as meat products (Schiltz, 2014). Salmonellosis is a zoonosis and is largely found within the environmental reservoir of food, and the food is more often than not meat, for instance cows, pigs and chickens. In essence, the live organism salmonellosis is consumed and the organism localizes within the target system or organ. Symptoms will then start to appear after six to 48 hours. The anaerobic bacteria salmonella causes various illnesses in humans like gastroenteritis, septicemia and typhoid fever. S. gastroentreritis etiologic agent is part of the family Entrerobacteriaceae, and nearly all salmonella are motile (Schiltz, 2011).
Host factors
Host factors are those intrinsic factors which influence a person’s vulnerability, exposure or response to a causative agent. For a salmonella food borne outbreak, the host factors include: (i) not washing hands completely with the use of water and soap after handling raw meat. (ii) Using a knife or a cutting board to work with raw meat and failing to thoroughly clean the board or the utensil used. Using contaminated or d...