The use of epidemiological tools in conflict-affected populations: open-access educational resources for policy-makers

Table of Contents

1. Welcome
2. Introduction: Epidemiology in crises
   1. Different types of crises
   2. What about relief interventions?
   3. Why is epidemiology useful?
   4. Limitations of epidemiology
   5. Want to read more?
3. Ethical issues in data collection
4. Need for epidemiologic competence
5. Surveys - Introduction
6. Surveys - Description of sampling methods
7. Surveys - Sampling error, bias, accuracy, precision, & sample size
8. Surveys - Resources required for surveys
9. Surveys - Critiquing survey reports
10. Surveillance - When to do surveillance
11. Surveillance - Methods
12. Surveillance - Common problems
13. Programme data
14. Rapid assessment
15. Mortality - Indicators and their measurement
16. Mortality - Data sources
17. Mortality - Interpretation and action
18. Nutrition - Introduction and background
19. Nutrition - Indicators and their measurement
20. Nutrition - Data sources
21. Nutrition - Interpretation and action
22. Health services
23. Vaccination programmes
24. Water supply, sanitation, and shelter
25. Violence
26. Presentation of results
27. Formulating conclusions and recommendations
28. Dissemination and action

What about relief interventions?

(go to Outline)

Crises and humanitarian interventions affect the same epidemiological processes, but in opposite directions: crises increase the number and severity of risk factors, and humanitarian relief attempts to reduce them. The balance of these two complementary forces determines how much excess morbidity and mortality occurs and how much is averted.

Basic interventions may include the provision of :

• Curative health care
• Preventive health care
• Safe water
• Sanitation facilities
• Food
• Shelter

Obviously, curative health care attempts to lower the case-fatality rate of a disease by preventing deaths among people who already have the disease. But curative care also serves a preventive function in reducing the shedding or dissemination of disease-causing organisms into the environment by shortening the course of illness.

The other major interventions also attempt to interrupt transmission of disease-causing organisms or decrease the susceptibility to these organisms.