Descriptive epidemiology involves critical organization, summarizing, and analyzing data with respect to health related problems and events to time, person and place. Descriptive study assists in providing information about a disease or condition, providing clues to identify a new disease or adverse health effect, identifying the extent of the public health problem, obtaining a description of the public health problem that can be easily communicated, identifying the population at greatest risk, assisting in planning and resource allocation, and identifying avenues for future research that can provide insights about an etiologic relationship between an exposure and health outcome (Merrill, 2013, p.88). 1. Identifying the extent of the public health problem With respect to time, diseases rates occur over time and hence descriptive epidemiology results to prediction of an occurrence of a disease with time e.g. influenza data analysis shows it is common with cold weather. Such analysis easily contributes to identifying the causes and actions of prevention of a particular diseases occurrence with respect to a epidemiology period. It also results to critical studies of the patterns and characteristics of a disease with seasonal distribution and pattern to chronic diseases hence creation of long term changes to public health problems (Merrill, 2013, p.120). Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn identifying the extent of the area public health problem translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic conditions By organizing similar characteristics of age, gender, inheritance, human activities and their condition of living, descriptive epidemiology determines the persons or group of people who are prone to great risk of a disease infection and susceptibility to death. It enables determination of the incubation period of a particular microbial agent and the modes of transmission from a person to another. For example, it is conclusive that male are generally at a high risks to certain disease infection compared to females because of the differences in genetic, hormonal, inherited genes and other anatomical differences (Merrill, 2013, pp.120-121). 2. Describing the public health problem in a way that can be easily communicated It enables a public health worker to have technical information more clearly, concisely and at most accurate with respect to the descriptive epidemiology of a disease studied. Hence measures of patterns and trends description of disease and health related problems can be easily communicated as familiarity with the epidemiology allows for effective description and justification in a clear.

1. Descriptive epidemiology involves critical organization,
summarizing, and analyzing data with respect to health related
problems and events to time, person and place. Descriptive
study assists in providing information about a disease or
condition, providing clues to identify a new disease or adverse
health effect, identifying the extent of the public health
problem, obtaining a description of the public health problem
that can be easily communicated, identifying the population at
greatest risk, assisting in planning and resource allocation, and
identifying avenues for future research that can provide insights
about an etiologic relationship between an exposure and health
outcome (Merrill, 2013, p.88).
1. Identifying the extent of the public health problem
With respect to time, diseases rates occur over time and hence
descriptive epidemiology results to prediction of an occurrence
of a disease with time e.g. influenza data analysis shows it is
common with cold weather. Such analysis easily contributes to
identifying the causes and actions of prevention of a particular
diseases occurrence with respect to a epidemiology period. It
also results to critical studies of the patterns and characteristics
of a disease with seasonal distribution and pattern to chronic
diseases hence creation of long term changes to public health
problems (Merrill, 2013, p.120).
Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight
into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of
acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of
infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the
area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn
identifying the extent of the area public health problem
translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention
e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic
conditions
By organizing similar characteristics of age, gender,
inheritance, human activities and their condition of living,

2. descriptive epidemiology determines the persons or group of
people who are prone to great risk of a disease infection and
susceptibility to death. It enables determination of the
incubation period of a particular microbial agent and the modes
of transmission from a person to another. For example, it is
conclusive that male are generally at a high risks to certain
disease infection compared to females because of the
differences in genetic, hormonal, inherited genes and other
anatomical differences (Merrill, 2013, pp.120-121).
2. Describing the public health problem in a way that can be
easily communicated
It enables a public health worker to have technical information
more clearly, concisely and at most accurate with respect to the
descriptive epidemiology of a disease studied. Hence measures
of patterns and trends description of disease and health related
problems can be easily communicated as familiarity with the
epidemiology allows for effective description and justification
in a clear concise manner to those the public promoting
measures to be taken in improving health and well-being.
Studying the health risks of a place results to gaining insight
into the geographical extent of a health problem, risk of
acquiring such a related geographical disease, the agent of
infection, modes of transmission and spread and factors in the
area favoring the survival of the agent of infection and in turn
identifying the extent of the area public health problem
translating to coming up with favorable measures of prevention
e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas with hot humid climatic
conditions (Regidor et al., 2007).
This provides a direct clear indication of the person prone to
infection at a particular predicted epidemiological period
3. Identifying who is at greater risk.
By organizing similar characteristics of age, gender,
inheritance, human activities and their condition of living,
descriptive epidemiology determines the persons or group of
people who are prone to great risk of a disease infection and
susceptibility to death. It enables determination of the

3. incubation period of a particular microbial agent and the modes
of transmission from a person to another. For example, it is
conclusive that male are generally at a high risks to certain
disease infection compared to females because of the
differences in genetic, hormonal, inherited genes and other
anatomical differences. Studying the health risks of a place
results to gaining insight into the geographical extent of a
health problem, risk of acquiring such a related geographical
disease, the agent of infection, modes of transmission and
spread and factors in the area favoring the survival of the agent
of infection and in turn identifying the extent of the area public
health problem translating to coming up with favorable
measures of prevention e.g. malaria infection is prone to areas
with hot humid climatic conditions (Merrill, 2013, pp.145-149).
This provides a direct clear indication of the person prone to
infection at a particular predicted epidemiological period.
4. Evaluating program effectiveness
Evaluation of control and prevention measures is another
responsibility of epidemiologists. Evaluation often addresses
both effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness refers to the
ability of a program to produce the intended or expected results
in the field. Effectiveness differs from efficacy, which is the
ability to produce results under ideal conditions. Finally,
efficiency refers to the ability of the program to produce the
intended results with a minimum expenditure of time and
resources. Evaluation of an immunization program, for example,
might compare the stated efficacy with the field effectiveness of
the program, and might assess the efficiency with which the
acceptable results are achieved (Chen & Orenstein, 1996).
5. Providing clues as to the causes of disease.
By analysis of the data collected based on time, place and
persons infected, descriptive epidemiology enables better
understanding of the causative agents of a disease affecting an
area, the factors favoring the survival of the agent of infection,
age supporting it’s incubation period, modes of infection, risks
of infection and characteristic seasonality distribution and

4. patterns of the particular health problem. All this greatly
contributes to the predictions of the causes of disease as how
the disease is spread and agents of the disease survival are
studied in depth (Merrill, 2013, p.151).
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References:
Merrill, M. R. (2013) Introduction to Epidemiology (6th Edit.).
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Regidor, E.; De la Fuente, L.; Gutierrez-Fisac, J. L.; De Mateo,
S,; Pascual, C.; Sanchez-Paya, J. & , and Ronda, E. (2007) “The
Role of the Public Health Official in Communicating Public
Health Information”. Retrieved July 8, 2014 at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1854984/
Chen, R. T. & Orenstein, A. W. (1996)” Epidemiologic Methods
in Immunization Programs”: The Johns Hopkins University
School of Hygiene and Public Health. Retrieved July 8, 2014 at
http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/2/99.short