In 2013, West Africa saw the beginning of one of the largest and longest lasting Ebola breakouts
In 2013, West Africa saw the beginning of one of the largest and longest lasting Ebola breakouts in history, which lasted for over two years. In 2014, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that heart disease, killing some 614,348 individuals that year, was the leading cause of death in the United
States. These examples show two different types of disease—one infectious, the other chronic—that have become focal points of public health. How do public
health professionals work to solve such issues? The key is a thorough understanding of the etiology, behavior, and transmission of diseases.
The final project for this course is a disease brief, which will require you to select a chronic or infectious disease from the provided list and write a brief analysis
of that disease to inform your health professional peers. You will cover the etiology of the disease, research the incidence and prevalence of the disease, explore
treatment and prevention, and consider how the ecological model impacts this public health issue.
This project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Analyze the etiology of infectious or chronic diseases to determine risk factors and modes of transmission
Discern the role of individual, community, and governmental levels of the ecological model in addressing public health issues and in impacting an
individual’s health
Determine incidence and prevalence of disease among affected populations by analyzing public health data and statistics
Distinguish prevention and treatment options for chronic or infectious diseases that can inform strategies meant to improve public health
They may also promote access to medical care for those in at-risk populations and provide education about healthy lifestyle choices. When it comes to chronic diseases like heart disease, public health experts strive to improve patient screening and treatment by developing guidelines for clinical practice and working with state agencies on programs that encourage physical activity and discourage smoking. Additionally, public health professionals may conduct research into potential treatments or medications for chronic conditions as well as support ongoing data collection efforts in order to track trends in disease prevalence over time.
Public health professionals analyze the etiology of infectious and chronic diseases to determine risk factors and modes of transmission. For example, for an infectious disease like Ebola, public health experts will investigate host-pathogen interactions by studying how the virus is transmitted from person to person. This may involve looking at contact patterns among infected individuals, genetic sequencing to trace transmission routes, or evaluating environmental conditions that may be contributing to spread. For a chronic condition such as heart disease, public health professionals examine underlying causes like unhealthy lifestyles, genetics, or environmental exposures that increase risk. By understanding these etiologies and associated risk factors, public health experts are better able to develop prevention strategies or treatment guidelines tailored to specific populations.
The ecological model, which views health as the interplay between individual, community, and governmental levels of influence, is useful in understanding how public health issues can be addressed. At the individual level, public health professionals may encourage individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise or quitting smoking. At the community level, this could involve creating smoke-free zones or providing access to gyms and healthy food options. On a government level, public health interventions can include implementing legislation that sets restrictions on unhealthy behavior or subsidies for preventive care. In all cases, it’s important to recognize that an individual’s health is not determined by any one factor but rather a combination of factors at each of these three levels. By taking into account the interconnectedness between these components of the ecology model when addressing public health issues, practitioners are better able to come up with comprehensive solutions that have lasting impacts on individuals' lives.
Public health professionals can determine the incidence and prevalence of disease among affected populations by analyzing public health data and statistics. This involves collecting data on the number of new cases, deaths, or other relevant metrics associated with a particular disease in order to analyze trends over time. Additionally, practitioners may examine factors such as demographics (e.g., gender, age) or geographic location that may be contributing to higher incidences of certain diseases in specific communities. Such data helps inform public health policies or programs that can better address the particular needs of an affected population. For example, if public health experts determined through analysis that heart disease is more prevalent among elderly individuals living in rural areas than those living in urban ones, they could develop targeted initiatives for making care more accessible to this group.
Public health professionals distinguish between prevention and treatment options for chronic or infectious diseases in order to inform strategies meant to improve public health. For example, when dealing with infectious diseases like Ebola, preventing the spread is of utmost importance. As such, public health practitioners may focus on increasing access to vaccines or providing education about proper hand-washing techniques. For chronic conditions such as heart disease, where prevention often requires lifestyle changes that are difficult for some individuals to make, treatment options may become a priority. Public health experts can then evaluate existing medications or therapy regimens that can help manage symptoms or reduce risk factors associated with the condition. In both cases, public health authorities strive to develop evidence-based interventions and policies that will produce the greatest benefit for affected communities.