Veterinary Epidemiology

One of the many fields that falls within veterinary public health, veterinary epidemiology focuses specifically on disease surveillance, response, and prevention. It involves data collection and analysis to develop and test hypotheses related to disease patterns. Veterinary epidemiologists respond to and prevent disease outbreaks in animal populations. They work at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental wellness to address some of the most complex health problems we face. Veterinary epidemiology can play a key role in emerging and global disease outbreaks, helping in the understanding and prevention of infections and other emerging diseases, including those transmitted from an animal to other animals, and those possibly transmitted from animals to humans. It is useful to distinguish epidemiological from clinical approaches to disease management. The clinical approach is focused on individual animals and is aimed at diagnosing a disease and then treating it. The epidemiological approach to disease management is conceptually different in that there is no dependency on being able to precisely define the aetiological agent. It is based on observing differences and similarities between diseased and non-diseased animals in order to try and understand what factors may be increasing or reducing the risk of disease. A key principle of veterinary epidemiology is that disease does not occur randomly in a population, but is more likely to occur in certain members/groups of a population, at certain times, and in specific locations; in other words, disease follows specific patterns. Central to disease control is the identification of these patterns and the risk factors that increase the likelihood of disease, as well as factors that reduce the likelihood of disease, so that measures can be implemented to reduce the frequency, severity, and impact of disease. This book aims to provide an introduction to applied and field study concerning veterinary epidemiology, by focusing on application rather than theory, and by drawing on a wide range of worked examples from animal health. The book is written for postgraduate students and researchers embarking upon epidemiological studies. I hoped that this Book will be of value to Veterinarians and who have an interest in Veterinary Epidemiology.