Introduction
This book was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a self-study course. Continuing Education for this course is no longer available.
 
Objectives
Readers who successfully complete this book should be able to correctly:
	
Describe key features and applications of descriptive and analytic epidemiology.
	
Calculate and interpret ratios, proportions, incidence rates, mortality rates, prevalence, and years of potential life lost.
	
Calculate and interpret mean, median, mode, ranges, variance, standard deviation, and confidence interval.
	
Prepare and apply tables, graphs, and charts such as arithmetic-scale line, scatter diagram, pie chart, and box plot.
	
Describe the processes, uses, and evaluation of public health surveillance.
	
Describe the steps of an outbreak investigation.
 
Course Design
This book covers basic epidemiology principles, concepts, and procedures useful in the surveillance and investigation of health-related states or events. It is designed for federal, state, and local government health professionals and private sector health professionals who are responsible for disease surveillance or investigation. A basic understanding of the practices of public health and biostatistics is recommended.