Chronic and Infectious Disease Control - Essay Example

"Chronic and Infectious Disease Control" is an interesting example of epidemiological research. 
Epidemiological surveillance is a continuing methodological collection, recording, analysis, interpretation, and giving out of information and processed data showing the current health status of a certain society or population. This method is based on both active and passive methods of data collection and processes. This method uses various methods of data sources that vary depending on the various cases under investigation. This article answers the question as to why epidemiological surveillance is important for public health and the role it would play if there were a bioterrorist attack.

One of the reasons why epidemiologic surveillance is important is that it tries to bring out the clinical effectiveness of the drug. This is done to assess the effectiveness of the drug issued on a certain community and how the community is responding to the drug. It is also done to establish the side effects that can be associated with the drug issued. The other reason for epidemiologic surveillance is to establish the cost-effectiveness of an intervention or the drug issued. One of the main goals of the health sector is to ensure that medical services are available to everyone. It is, therefore, done to ensure that the drug can be affordable to the various persons that are in need.

Epidemiologic surveillance is also done to determine whether an intervention or an activity is feasible, appropriate, or if it concurs with the evidence of experience thoughts and believes of people and their relatives. This is done because different societies have different norms and customs and have different religious believes that affect the administration of drugs issued. This is common in many African societies. Epidemiologic surveillance is also done to promote future needs that may arise in society. This will help to establish a way forward

that may be required if a future calamity occurs. It is also done to find far forward for the prevailing conditions that have not been settled in a current state (Hemingway & Brereton, p. 3).

Besides, epidemiologic surveillance is important for the authors and researchers who wish to secure or gain enough grant to fund for their primary health care research. This can also be done to students who are pursuing further education such as those pursuing their doctorate and degrees. This information is used in their theses to establish possible solutions to the problems occurring now and in the future. Epidemiologic surveillance is important to the national institute for health and clinical excellence health technology. This is because it allows for the appraisal of multiple technologies as well as the appraisal of single technology employed (Hemingway & Brereton, p. 3).

On the other hand, terrorists can use this epidemiologic surveillance to carry out terror activities. This is described as bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is the use of biological agents such as biological diseases to cause terror and havoc on a certain community or country. Examples of these agents include diseases such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and biological toxins. The greatest fear at present is that as many as ten countries have biological weapons. This knowledge can be available to terrorists, who may use the knowledge for bioterrorism.

There are many objectives of bioterrorism surveillance and epidemiologic survey. One of them is to respond to possible biological terror activities. This is meant to counter as well as prevent terror activities and establish possible solutions if a biological terror activity occurs (CDC, p. 5-7).

Secondly, bioterrorism surveillance is used to provide or establish guidance to local health departments’ that informs them about bioterrorism. This includes issuing response

strategies to the local level. This ensures that all people and areas involved are well catered for and well informed (Davis, G p. 5-17).