Measuring Morbidity: Prevalence and Incidence

Examining data for prevalence and incidence of a disease or pathology helps public health officials to understand how the disease or pathology is affecting a specific population over a period of time. By understanding this, strategies can be introduced to intervene or address the issues.

For this assignment, examine prevalence and incidence to measure morbidly for a disease. Read the scenario below and complete the assignment as instructed.

Scenario

In Community X (population 20,000), an epidemiologist conducted a prevalence survey in January of 2012 and reported an HIV prevalence of 2.2%. Over the next 12 months, the department of health reported an additional 50 new HIV cases between February 2012 and January 2013. The total population stayed constant at 20,000.

Part 1

1. How many people had HIV in January 2012? Present or describe the formula you used to arrive at your answer.
2. Calculate the incidence rate assuming no HIV-related deaths over the 12-month period. Present or describe the formula you used to arrive at your answer. Be sure to clearly indicate the numerator and denominator used in your calculation and include an appropriate label for the rate.
3. In a summary of 200-250 words, interpret the results and discuss the relationship between incidence and prevalence. Discuss whether or not the epidemiologist should be concerned about these new HIV infections, assuming a previous incidence rate of 0.5 per 1,000 person-years prior to this updated risk assessment.

You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. 

Please have the assignment done by Tuesday 2-9-2021 by evening. 

Please read the assignment for the details.