Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines Epidemiology is the method used to find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems. Epidemiologist does research to develop better lifestyle programs like 5 servings of fruit and vegetable per day, smoking warning labels, pollution controlment etc. They perform observations to determine the effect of substances and behavioral changes in large population. They use statistics to conclude if the findings are True or due to Chance.
When it comes to Pandemic, Transmission, Incubation, Spread and herd immunity are all part of their day to day vocabulary. Their research include understanding the problem, how to control the spread, identify vulnerable community, diagnostic tests, develop vaccination and distribution channels. We have come a long way from Spanish flu, smallpox, polio, SARS , Swine flu and now battling Covid-19. The US government has announced that it will establish a National Center for Epidemic Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.
This time the field of Epidemiology itself is evolving. Scientists from other disciplines such as physics, mathematics, computer science and network science, who have been contributing their ideas and expertise to tackle the global pandemic. Epidemiologists studied the amino acid changes in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the variants and the mutations undergone by the virus. They recommended general measures based on their studies to prevent the spread like hand washing, avoid touching face, disinfecting surfaces touched frequently, social distancing, lockdowns, masks and different types of masks, quarantine, case tracking, diagnostic tests etc.
Epidemiology is an important science that helps improve life of thousands of people by carefully observing the community and determining the cause and effect relationship without bias and identifying the possible confounders. Government should invest in this science to decrease the healthcare bills and increase the productivity of thousands and in some cases, millions of its citizen.
My References
https://www.cdc.gov/careerpaths/k12teacherroadmap/epidemiology.html
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/what-epidemiology
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
Journey into the World of Life Science 