Tabitha Mwangi

EPI / DEMO
EPIDEMIOLOGY OVERVIEW
• In August 1999, epidemiologists learned of a cluster of
cases of encephalitis caused by West Nile virus
infection among residents of Queens, New York
• West Nile virus infection, transmitted by mosquitoes,
had never before been identified in North America.
• Describe how this information might be used for each of the
following:

• Assessing the community’s health

• Making decisions about individual patients

• Documenting the clinical picture of the illness

• Searching for causes to prevent future outbreaks