Epidemiology

Specialty only; prefer /‌epidemiol with diseases; do not confuse with TOPOGRAPHY, MEDICAL: epidemiology emphasizes disease outbreaks & disease-related conditions, topography emphasizes geography-related eventsScope

Field concerned with the determination of causes, incidence, and characteristic behavior of disease outbreaks affecting human populations. It includes the interrelationships of host, agent, and environment as related to the distribution and control of disease.