A Critical Review of Levels of Disease Development and Prevention in Epidemiology

Abstract

Epidemiology is the scientific study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or occurrences in a given population, as well as its use and application in the management of health issues. This article has discussed in detail the meaning and significance of each key word in the definition of epidemiology to fill the knowledge gap among stakeholders in health and the general population. Incubation, prodromal sickness, illness, decline, and convalescence are the typical phases or stages that illnesses go through while they develop. This article has discussed in details with examples the stages of diseases development. The paper also notes that the length of each stage or phase varies depending on whether the condition is acute or chronic, as well as other factors. To target the prevention of various phases of a disease, corresponding preventive health strategies have been developed and categorized into similar stages. Primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention are the four stages of prevention. These preventive measures are discussed with appropriate examples. The authors have recommended that all types of health workers and other stakeholders in health should be educated on the necessity of prevention as an important part of caring for individuals in order to attain population-wide optimal health.