Description
Write a paper (2,000-2,500 words) in which you apply the concepts of
epidemiology and nursing research to a communicable disease. Refer to
"Communicable Disease Chain," "Chain of Infection," and the CDC website
for assistance completing this assignment.
Communicable Disease Selection
Choose one communicable disease from the following list:
Chickenpox
Tuberculosis
Influenza
Mononucleosis
Hepatitis B
HIV
Ebola
Measles
Polio
Influenza
Epidemiology Paper Requirements
Address the following:
Describe
the communicable disease (causes, symptoms, mode of transmission,
complications, treatment) and the demographics of interest (mortality,
morbidity, incidence, and prevalence). Is this a reportable disease? If
so, provide details about reporting time, whom to report to, etc.
Describe the determinants of health and explain how those factors contribute to the development of this disease.
Discuss
the epidemiologic triangle as it relates to the communicable disease
you have selected. Include the host factors, agent factors (presence or
absence), and environmental factors. (The textbook describes each
element of the epidemiologic triangle). Are there any special
considerations or notifications for the community, schools, or general
population?
Explain the role of the community health nurse (case finding, reporting, data collecting, data analysis, and follow-up).
Identify
at least one national agency or organization that addresses the
communicable disease chosen and describe how the organization(s)
contributes to resolving or reducing the impact of the disease.
Discuss
a global implication of the disease. How is this addressed in other
countries or cultures? Is this disease endemic to a particular area?
Provide an example.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head; EPIDEMIOLOGY
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Epidemiology Paper
Student’s name
Institution affiliation
EPIDEMIOLOGY
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Description of the Communicable Disease
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which suggests that the disease is caused
by viruses (Volberding, et al. 2008). People contract the disease from each other through
different methods such as sexual intercourse which makes it a form of STI and also through
contact with infected blood, mother to child during birth and open wounds. The virus targets the
immune system of a patient making the body weak and unable to fight infections. The effects of
the disease are minimal at the beginning but after sometimes, it evolves into AIDs which is a
life-threatening chronic condition as the body continues growing weaker and a person might die
if not given the appropriate medical attention. However, in the modern world, medical
institutions have come up with medication that can help slow down the effects and people can
now live longer.
HIV symptoms vary regarding the stage of the disease. After a few weeks of infection, a
patient develops flu illnesses which might last for a few days. The phase is called acute HIV.
From there, the disease evolves into chronic HIV stage where the virus remains in the body for a
long time which might span several years. A possible sign of the infection is a continued
swelling of the lymph nodes. As the virus continue multiplying and destroying the immune
system, the disease progresses into the symptomatic stage. A patient develops signs such as
fatigue, fever, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea among others. From the above phase, the infection
then develops into AIDS. A person might have an Aids defining complication, or the number of
CD4+ T cells drops below 200 in the body (Volberding, et al. 2008).
Before the introduction of medications to slow down the AIDS effects, the disease was
the leading cause of deaths. However, the number of people living with the infection all around
the world remains high thus the number of deaths is also high. In 2016 estimation, the number of
EPIDEMIOLOGY
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people with the disease ranged around 36 million. Around 1.8 million people contracted the
disease in the same, and there were roughly 940 thousand deaths all across the world. in the US,
under one percent of the total population are living with the disease ("Basic Statistics", 2018).
The newly affected people as of 2015 was 38 thousand which is a continued drop from the year
2010. The US started recording HIV and AIDS as a cause of death in 1997. From then, more
than 507 thousand people died were 6465 deaths happened in 2015 alone.
In the United States, HIV is a reportable disease. All the 50 states have a rule to health
centers which requires them to report any incidence of the infection to state health departments.
The reporting time varies across countries where some of the systems are custom made and do
not comply with the national regulations. In most of the states, it is the physician’s and the
laboratory attendant to report ...
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