HLTH1057 Portfolio Task 3
HLTH1057 Portfolio Task 3
Descriptive Epidemiology
Student name: Greta Ngalya
Student ID number: 110150051
Description
Task 3 is a 500-word report that demonstrates your understanding of descriptive epidemiology. Week 5 of the course explains health data and descriptive epidemiology.
Imagine that measles has been circulating in Australia in the past 6 years. You have been provided with data containing the number of measles notifications (in males and females) and the population of South Australia (SA) from 2018 to 2023 (see Excel file). In addition to SA data, you have been provided with data from Victoria (VIC) as a comparison. As a junior public health officer at SA Health, you are tasked to provide an epidemiological report to inform the state on this disease.
Your report should be succinct and clear, and include the following information:
Introduction (100 words)Provide an introduction to your report presenting a background to the disease.
Measles is a viral infection with symptoms including cough, fever, a rash with both flat and raised parts and coryza an inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose (Winkler et al., 2022, p. 2). In its serious form, this morbillivirus infection can lead to more serious complications. Measles is a rare disease in Australia a six-year dataset showing the number of reported cases will be used in this epidemiology report. Victoria's (VIC) number of measles notifications in males and females will be compared to those from South Australia (SA). This study will describe distributions of diseases in relation to person, place, and time using the attached collected dataset from 2018 - 2023. The report will conclude by providing public safety recommendations based on these numbers.
Disease Pattern (200 words)
Choose 3 relevant person, place and time factors and provide a discussion of the disease pattern in Australia. You can refer to Winkler et al. (2022) for this information.
Epidemiological calculations and description
Use Excel to calculate epidemiological measures for cases of measles in South Australia and Victoria, and upload the Excel file. The Excel file must include your calculation formulas.
Point prevalence of the condition in the years provided (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Incidence rate (per 100,000 person years)
Cumulative incidence of the condition (2018-2023)
Public Health relevance (200 words)
Discuss the calculated values in the context of public health in SA
How does it compare to other states (e.g. Victoria)? How does it compare to previous years? Does it warrant a public health intervention?
Given the epidemiological evidence, what public health recommendations could you provide in relation to this disease?
NOTE: Word count must be within 10% of the word limit e.g. between 450 and 550 words. In-text references are included in the word limit.
The week 5 content and readings, and Activities 5.2 and 5.3 are designed to help you complete this assessment.
Winkler, N. E. D., Aditi Quinn, H. E. P., Davoud Lambert, S. M., & Peter Beard, F. (2022). Australian vaccine preventable disease epidemiological review series: measles, 20122019. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 46, 123. https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2022.46.38
