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Introduction

Summary

This chapter has covered the following points:

What is veterinary epidemiology?

Veterinary epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of animal health-, welfare- and production- related states or events in specified populations and the application of this study to control of health problems.

How do we describe an animal health-related event in a population?

The key elements are to describe the animal health-related event in terms of its distribution in time, place and animal.

Exposures and outcomes

An exposure is a risk factor for the outcome that we are investigating, which may or may not be the cause of the outcome.

The outcome is the disease, or event, or animal health-related state, that we are interested in.

Descriptive and analytical epidemiology

In descriptive epidemiology, we describe the distribution of an exposure or outcome, without seeking to explain the distribution by looking for associations.

In analytical epidemiology, we examine associations, often with the aim of identifying possible causes for an outcome.

Observational and interventional epidemiology

In observational epidemiology we examine the distribution or determinants of an outcome without any attempt to influence them.

In interventional epidemiology we test a hypothesis by modifying an exposure within the study population and examining the effect on the outcome.

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Aims and Objectives
What is Veterinary Epidemiology?
Snow on Cholera
Exposures & Outcomes
Observe or Intervene
Role of Epidemiology
Types of Investigation
A Clinical Problem
Population Perspective
Exercises
Summary