Epidemiology and public health

• What is epidemiology?

  The study of health and disease in populations
• How does epidemiology aid public health?

  It provides data for decision making and prevention
• What is public health?

  The science of protecting community health
• What are the aims of public health?

  Enhance quality of life and prevent disease
• What is the role of microbial epidemiology in public health?

  • Identifying infectious agents
  • Tracking disease spread
  • Developing interventions like vaccines
• What does laboratory testing in microbial epidemiology involve?

  Identifying pathogens in various samples
• What do epidemiologists analyze to understand disease spread?

  Data to identify risk factors and patterns
• How do policymakers use information from microbiologists?

  To develop public health policies and interventions
• What significant event did John Snow investigate in 1854?

  The cholera outbreak in London
• What theory did John Snow challenge during the cholera outbreak?

  The miasma theory of disease transmission
• What method did John Snow use to identify the cholera outbreak source?

  Mapping and data collection of cases
• What was the outcome of Snow's intervention during the cholera outbreak?It effectively halted the outbreak

  • John Snow hypothesised that cholera was waterborne
  • he conducted detailed interviews with local residents and meticulously mapped the locations of cholera cases
  • his map revealed that the majority of cases clustered around the Broad Street water pump which was contaminated with sewage
  • Snow persuaded authorities to remove the pump handle, effectively halting the outbreak
• What are the key components of the cycle of microbial disease?

  • Infectious agents
  • Susceptible hosts
  • Portals of entry
  • Modes of transmission
  • Reservoirs
  • Portals of exit
• Who discovered penicillin?

  Alexander Fleming
• What was the significance of Fleming's discovery of penicillin?

  First true antibiotic that killed bacteria
• How was penicillin further developed for mass production?

  Refined by Florey and Chain during WWII
• What public health impact did penicillin have?

  Reduced mortality from bacterial infections
• Why is understanding AMR important?

  To make informed policy decisions

  • infection prevention and control programmes
  • access to essential antibiotics
  • research and development of new vaccines and antibiotics
• What challenges exist in understanding AMR in low-income settings?

  Serious data gaps and limited lab capacity
• How does antibiotic use relate to resistance?

  Use drives resistance but varies by pathogen
• What are nosocomial infections?

  Infections acquired during hospital stays

  5-15% increased risk for contracting infectious diseases in hospitals
• What factors contribute to nosocomial infections?

  Compromised individuals and antibiotic misuse
• How many patients in England acquire nosocomial infections annually?

  Approximately 300,000 patients
• What is the estimated cost of nosocomial infections to the NHS?

  £1 billion
• What are common types of nosocomial infections?

  Respiratory, urinary, bloodstream, GI and surgical site infections
• What is the primary mode of transmission for COVID-19?

  Airborne droplets and aerosols
• What was the estimated R0 of the original Wuhan strain of COVID-19?

  Approximately 2.87
• How did the R0 of the delta variant compare to the original strain?

  It was substantially higher - 5.08
• What early health measures were effective against COVID-19?

  • Contact tracing
  • Lockdowns
  • Social distancing
  • Self-isolation
  • Face masks
  • COVID-19 testing
• Why was genomic surveillance important during the COVID-19 pandemic?

  For rapid detection of emerging variants
• What type of vaccines were established for COVID-19?

  mRNA vaccines
• What is a zoonosis?

  An infection jumping from animals to humans
• How do zoonotic infections spread to humans?

  Through direct contact or contaminated sources
• What impact do non-human diseases have on public health?

  Significant impacts on food production and welfare
• What was a key control measure during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001?

  Slaughtering infected animals
• How did epidemiology contribute to the foot and mouth disease outbreak response?

  Tracked the outbreak and informed control measures
• John Snows impact on modern epidemiological methods

  • data collection and analysis in identifying disease patterns
  • geographic mapping as a tool for understanding disease spread
  • public health interventions based on scientific evidence
• partnerships in infectious disease controls

  • NHS - provides patient care, surveillance and outbreak response
  • UK health security agency - monitors public health threats, conducts research and coordinates responses
  • local authorities - implement public health measures, provide community services and manage local outbreaks
  • academic institutions - conduct research on infectious diseases, support policy-making and train healthcare workers
  • private sector - develop medical technologies, diagnostics and vaccines
  • international organisations - collaborate on global disease surveillance, data sharing and coordinated responses
• how has smallpox been erradicated in 1980?

  • vaccination - universal childhood immunisation programmes and mass vaccination were used in many countries
  • surveillance - targeted surveillance and containment strategies were used
  • coordination - governments and health workers in many countries