Descriptive and Analytic Epidemiology

One of the more common pests located in the Northeastern United States is the Black Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis). More commonly known as the “Deer Tick” this animal primarily inhabits wooded areas populated by warm-blooded wildlife. Specifically the temperate Pine Barrens in Southern New Jersey, which hosts the 2nd largest tick population in the country (CDC, 2010), the black legged tick is a common pest that spreads lyme disease. This disease is a bacterial infection caused by the tick latching onto a host and feeding for an extended period of time. These ticks attach to most warm blooded woodland creatures and any human beings unfortunate enough to get close enough.

Indiana is considered to be a moderate risk state. Some of the states with a higher risk factor are along the upper east coast, Midwest, and western states. These areas seem to have a larger section of woods where the ticks like to hang out. Children seem to develop the disease more than adults. This is probably from being outside and playing

“Lyme disease got its name from where it was first discovered in Lyme, Connecticut in 1975” (healthychildren.org). “Since then there has been thousands of cases reported of the disease. The ticks live in low and high seasonal temperatures and high humidity” (healthychildren.org). Lyme Disease most common to occur in the Northeast, North-central states, or West Coast. On behalf of the Northeast, I can tell you that ticks are everywhere in this region. They like to live in tall grasses and woody areas. “The small insects more than often latch onto the foot or lower leg and crawl up the body, and travel up the body with a destination of the head. On their normal hosts, ticks also usually crawl up; they want to blood feed around the

Dragon fruit, or pitaya, is the fruit of several cactus species native to Mexico. Pitayas are a

Lyme disease has emerged as the most common vector borne infectious disease in the United States and has presented a growing challenge to public health officials over the past three decades. The infection represents a significant disease burden to the population of the United States with nearly 30,000 new cases diagnosed per year and an estimated additional 270,000 annual incident cases that go unreported. The disease results from a bacterial infection with the spirochete bacteria B. burgdorferi. This bacterial agent is transmitted to humans from the bite of a tick and is most commonly associated Ixodes species blacklegged ticks. These ticks represent the largest genus of the family Ixodidae and mainly inhabit temperate forest or grassland

The type of epidemiology used for this topic is descriptive because, as Stanhope (2012) stated, “Epidemiologists investigate the distribution or patterns of health events in populations in order to characterize health outcomes in terms of what, who, where, when, how, and why: What is the outcome? Who is affected? Where are they? When do events occur? This focus is called descriptive epidemiology, because it seeks to describe the occurrence of a disease in terms of person, place, and time” (p. 282). This type of epidemiology is used to determine the extent of diabetes and how the rapidly growing population of Mexican-Americans will impact the economy and the future of healthcare. The person includes the risk factors, education, occupation, ethnicity, diet and exercise. The place is where the population is, the density, economic development along with nutritional, and medical practices. Time is, since the event took place, age, and cycles or trends that might affect the disease process.

Many people look forward to the spring and summer months because they get to go back out into nature. Swimming, hiking, and fishing are just some of the outdoor activities that many people enjoy this time of year. Unfortunately when the weather warms, the deer ticks come out and with them come Lyme disease.

In the southwest of the United states, coccidioides immitis and C posadasii, fungal pathogens that cause valley fever in humans, have usually been located in hot, dry states like California, Arizona, and Utah, but recently it has also moved to Washington State, which is considered a humid state. This situation shows how climate change is having an effect on this state by making it dryer and allowing these pathogens to habituate and spread here. Furthermore, in Arizona, the annual cases of valley fever increased from 33 to 43/100,000 people between 1998 and 2001 (Benjamin H., 2017). This was due to longer dry seasons caused by climate change, and windier storms that spread fungal spores.

In addition to identifying the populations and demographic subsets who are most at risk, the epidemiology will delineate some of the particular cultural characteristics of the population and outline the sociological, economic and health risks that frequently accompany the

Descriptive study would be the most valuable to assist one gather data since descriptive study depicts the populations which are at risk and the level of disease (WNV) together in space and time inside these populations. Descriptive study would authorize to compute the amount of persons infected through WNV during a time period. This might authorize a sequence of propositions to be built as regards determinants of WNV and consequences of WNV on populace. (4. The epidemiological approach to investigating disease problems)

A survey was composed to try to understand whether living around wooded areas could increase susceptibility towards getting Lyme Disease, whether owning outdoor pets was a risk towards getting Lyme Disease, and finally, what type of deer tick preventative measures work best amongst animals. Surveys were collected in two ways: online surveys and telephone surveys. In the end, the results were checked through statistical analysis and proven significant. All the results were posted on the Facebook page.

Ticks, they are most significant vectors of infectious diseases in the United States. These arachnids can host a scary medley of infectious bacterium, and they are increasing at an alarming rate with one CDC graph showing their numbers have almost tripled since 1995 (Lyme Stats). Some point to greater awareness, other point to climate change, while we don’t know exactly why their reach is growing we do know we have to be wary of the diseases they carry. While not all ticks are hosts, ticks carrying the Borrelia bacteria known for causing Lyme disease present a massive public health risk. Lyme is one most under researched Infectious diseases with the CDC estimating that somewhere between 300,000 and 3,000,000 people are infected annual.

There are certain risk factors which can increase one 's chance of contracting Lyme disease. For example: where a person lives can heighten one 's likelihood of getting this illness. Wherever deer or white-footed mice are high in population, ticks are likely to be as well, since these animals are their main food source. Ticks also thrive in heavily wooded and grassy areas, so, if a person lives or works in such a place, they

Observational epidemiology is a study of disease where “the investigator ascertains exposure and outcome without assignment to an intervention” Observational studies have made important contributions to the knowledge and understanding of health-related conditions. These studies usually involve a large group of individuals as in a community. The purpose of this type of study is to determine the

It is important for everyone to become aware of their own values and beliefs, especially those who are part of the medical field. As a nurse there will be times when others ethics don’t match up with yours. I have looked into what professional issues may create a potential conflict with my own personal values and beliefs while in nursing practice. I would like to work with pediatrics at some point in my nursing career, so the question of whether or not you should vaccinate your child is a common dilemma among parents, or guardians. Based on my personal values and beliefs, I think the answer to that question should be an easy yes.