Epidemiology
Related Items
Links
Classical epidemiology
Hippocrates already noted that environmental and personal factors could contribute to disease occurrence “Whoever whishes to investigate medicine properly should proceed thus: in the first place to consider the season of the year, and what effects each of them produce. …and the mode in which the inhabitants live,.., whether they are fond of drinking water and eating to excess, and given to indolence, or are fond of exercise and labor”.
These observations have formed the foundation for the first basic assumption of epidemiology, namely that disease does not occur at random, but that certain factors contribute to disease occurrence. The second fundamental assumption of epidemiology evolved many centuries later, namely that causal factors of disease could be identified through comparison of groups of ill people with groups of healthy people.
Modern epidemiology
The 20th century witnessed a rapid evolution of epidemiological techniques and methodology. Specific methods of collecting and analyzing data were developed using descriptive, case-control, cohort and experimental study designs. Clinical medicine started applying epidemiological methodology. It addressed etiological issues but also began to focus on questions of diagnostic procedures, treatment and prognosis. This further progressed to the establishment of ‘evidence –based medicine’ approach to respond better to the needs of patients..
Where epidemiology was originally solely a discipline to solve public health problems, it has thus evolved more and more into an indispensable widely applied research discipline. The epidemiological concepts and methods, its reasoning and its approach for collecting and judging the significance of observation and data, is nowadays practiced in all kinds of health research.
Approach
KIT Biomedical Research provides consultation and epidemiological and statistical advice to internal and external researchers and is participating in a number of epidemiological studies. It supports institutional capacity strengthening.
It is further involved in the teaching program of the institute providing lectures on Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases Control for the Masters in International Health, The Masters in Community Health, and short courses such as the Training of Outbreak Response Teams. It supervises internships of students from various Universities both at the department as well as in Africa, Asia and South America.
Collaborating with laboratory experts, the epidemiologists of KIT Biomedical Research are also interested in examining laboratory information using an epidemiological focus to monitor disease control activities.
Focal points
- Human capacity strengthening for clinical trials
- Epidemiological studies on drug resistance and treatment
- Development of quality assurance systems and laboratory management systems
- Advice on study design and statistical analysis
- Consultancies
- Design and implementation of tailor-made courses and workshops in developing countries
Projects
- Determining leprosy transmission patterns and long-term efficacy of chemoprophylaxis (cohort study)
- Prevention, detection, monitoring and epidemiology of drug resistant P.falciparum, P.vivax and mixed infections in Vietnam
- Infectious diseases Network for Treatment and Research in Africa (INTERACT)
Publications
- Benthem, B.H.B. - Knowledge and use of prevention measures related to dengue in northern Thailand
- Bakker, M.I. - Population survey to determine risk factors for Mycobacterium leprae transmission and infection
- Bakker, M.I. - Prevention of leprosy using rifampicin as chemoprophylaxis.
- Vanwambeke, S.O. - Multi-level analyses of spatial and temporal determinants for dengue infection.