Who are epidemiologists?
THEY are public health professionals responsible for making the initial discovery and also helping in the containment of an epidemic, such as bird flu or swine flu. Epidemiology is the study and control of diseaseor injury patterns in human populations. Epidemiologists do fieldwork to determine what causes disease, what the risks are, who is at risk, and how to prevent further incidences. They understand the demographic and social trends upon diseases. When dengue fever or the current swine flu outbreak attacks a community, the disease detectives or epidemiologists are asked to investigate the cause of disease and control its spread. A basic science in the field of public health, epidemiology deals with the study of the patterns and the causes of diseases in the population Epidemiologists study how diseases and medical treatments affect groups of people. Epidemiologists often work with policymakers to prevent the spread of disease and develop treatment guidelines for those who are sick
