Introduction to Epidemiology 6th Edition by Ray M Merrill

Exercise 1

A chronic disease may be which of the following:

a. Infectious, communicable

b. Noninfectious, noncommunicable

c. Neither (a) or (b)

d. Both (a) and (b)

Step 1 of 4

Chronic disease epidemiology has been changed over the years due to improvements in the supply of safe drinking water, appropriate waste disposal, clean housing and regulation of food handling. The improvements in the public welfare programs have greatly increased the life expectancy rates over the years. There is a shift from infectious to noninfectious conditions explaining most illness and deaths throughout the world.

During the 1900s, the epidemiology focused on the disease causing infectious agents or pathogen that could cause diseases and spread via food and water supplies or waste disposal systems that were not well maintained.

Pneumonia, influenza and tuberculosis were the leading causes of majority of deaths in 1900. Such infectious diseases are highly communicable as they spread rapidly via contaminated food, water or other household supplies.