As the #COVID19 pandemic has demonstrated, diseases know no borders. Globally, we are more interconnected and mobile than ever before, making a health threat anywhere a health threat everywhere. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
To safeguard and promote the health of its citizens, every country must have effective field epidemiology capacity. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epi capacity means we can detect, investigate and control health threats; carry out health surveys; conduct disease surveillance; establish/evaluate surveillance systems; perform applied field research, and evaluate prevention/control efforts. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology (AKA applied, interventional, or “shoe leather” epidemiology) is conducted with the aim of taking action to address a public health problem—linked to human, animal or environmental health—to reduce illness, injury or death. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology links data to action to design or improve policies and interventions to protect population health, especially in response to unexpected health problems when rapid on-site investigation is necessary. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
The traditional concept of field epidemiology and the roles of field epidemiologists are expanding. More than ever, field epidemiologists are directly involved in developing innovative solutions to public health problems. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
The International Health Regulations (IHR) and the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) call for at least 1 trained field epidemiologist per 200,000 people in every country to detect, respond to, and contain public health emergencies. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology is key to strengthening epidemiologic and surveillance capacity at all levels of the health system, mitigating public health threats, and leading to reduced mortality and case numbers, epidemic duration, and potential for spread. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Increased field epidemiology capacity allows for quicker outbreak response, making it possible to break chains of transmission, decrease the number of cases and deaths, and mitigate the socioeconomic consequences. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology requires a systematic approach to solving problems, enabling effective outbreak management and emergency response. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Increasing investment in field epidemiology training and technology is crucial to ensuring high-quality health information for strong decision-making and the development of evidence-informed policies. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology cuts across public health, environmental health, medicine (human and veterinary), microbiology, laboratory science, anthropology, and communication. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Increasing investment in multidisciplinary field epidemiology training can have lasting and positive effects on the structure and coordination of health agencies. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Infectious diseases with pandemic potential can spread more easily due to the effects of climate change, deforestation, and urbanization, including increased human-animal contact due to habitat loss of wild animals. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology is key to addressing public health problems caused by climate change and the effects of temperature, humidity, and seasonality on infectious disease dynamics and on the multiplication of disease vectors like mosquitoes and ticks. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiology advances global health security by allowing placement of strategies for improvement at all levels of the health system. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
As public health workers worldwide have been battling #COVID19, field epidemiologists have been at the forefront of the fight, involved in contact tracing, case investigations, community engagement, data collection and analysis, and much more. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists are the world’s “disease detectives” responsible for investigating public health signals to confirm outbreaks and identify cases, contacts and risk factors for disease. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
All pandemics begin as local outbreaks. Field epidemiologists are uniquely equipped with the skills for early detection and control of these diseases locally and after they become pandemics. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists are involved in all pillars of public health preparedness and response, from coordination to surveillance to operations. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Surveys and investigations conducted by field epidemiologists have led to improvements in public health service delivery: for example, improvement of sanitation systems and increased vaccination coverage. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Because field epidemiologists provide the evidence necessary for action, field epidemiology is the backbone of responding to a public health emergency. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists help establish sustainable surveillance systems today to prevent complex health emergencies in the future. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Around the world, field epidemiologists’ work advances evidence-based knowledge that strengthens public health policies and interventions. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists investigate and respond to communicable and non-communicable diseases in populations, including vulnerable populations such as those affected by conflict and humanitarian emergencies. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists acquire grassroots-level knowledge and experience that enables them to provide decision-makers with information to generate strategies for effective health interventions and programs. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Field epidemiologists work at the forefront of the #OneHealth paradigm on problems related to human health, animal health, and environmental health. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Many field epidemiologists have multidisciplinary expertise that allows them to respond effectively to a wide range of health issues. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Veterinary field epidemiologists are vital for detecting and stopping #zoonotic disease #outbreaks that can spill over into human populations. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
With an estimated 60 to 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases in humans originating from animals, animal health field epidemiologists play a vital role in detecting diseases. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Diseases of animal origin that can be transmitted to humans, such as rabies and avian influenza, cause huge socioeconomic and health emergencies at the global level. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
There is a strong need to build capacity of the animal and environmental health sectors in field epidemiology to be able to work alongside their human health sector counterparts. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
Animal health field epidemiologists are needed not just to address zoonotic diseases but also to address the negative impact of animal diseases on food security, livelihoods and economies. #WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay TWEET
