Role: Conducting Outbreak
Investigation and Response
DOH gathers information about an illness and analyzes this information in order to help prevent future illness and manage the spread of the disease.
Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease and health risks in the population. DOH epidemiologists help answer questions like: "What is the common source of an illness among a group of people?". During a public health emergency, especially during large-scale disease outbreaks, the DOH epidemiologists study patterns of disease by:
- Make predictions about the spread of a disease
- Developing a survey to collect data on a disease
- Developing a database in order to analyze data
