Definition of EPIDEMIOLOGY

Examples of epidemiology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Arnold Monto, professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School for Public Health, says that in addition to enforcement, state officials must clearly communicate what's expected of residents and lead by example. — Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, "No turning back for Florida, Texas? Why the next two weeks are 'critical' for US, Fauci warns," 25 June 2020 And any increase in cases from the protests would be hard to separate from the fact that states are reopening in general, according to Caroline Buckee, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, "Why It Would Be Hard to Link a Coronavirus Spike to Recent Protests," 22 June 2020 The chart — created by public health, epidemiology and infectious disease experts — currently has Dallas County’s risk level in the red category, indicating a high community risk for COVID-19 transmission. — Dallas News, "‘It’s nice to get out’: Moviegoers return to the theaters as Cinemark reopens in North Texas," 19 June 2020 In North Carolina, more testing plus more people out and about during reopening seem to be the main drivers of recent case upticks, said Kimberly Powers, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. — Mike Stobbe, The Christian Science Monitor, "As states reopen, COVID-19 cases make a comeback," 12 June 2020 Lauterbach cited in particular the work of Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, whose research with colleagues recently suggested that forms of social distancing may have to remain in place into 2022. — Author: Rick Noack, Anchorage Daily News, "‘It really does feel like the US has given up’: Experts in other nations alarmed by US coronavirus numbers," 19 June 2020 As a result, people who are heading back to the movies need to follow public health guidelines — decide what risks are acceptable, said Amanda Simanek, associate professor of epidemiology at the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health at UWM. — Jordan Nutting, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Going to the movies this weekend? Here are some tips on staying safe, minimizing risks," 18 June 2020 The researchers took risk factors highlighted in official guidelines, including heart disease and diabetes, and used broad epidemiology data such as the Global Burden of Diseases study to arrive at their estimates. — Marthe Fourcade, Fortune, "1 in 5 people are at risk of developing ‘severe’ COVID-19 symptoms due to underlying health conditions," 15 June 2020 Protesting – especially without a mask – can put people at higher risk for infection, said Dr. Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. — Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, "Did protests fuel COVID-19 cases? Are we already in a second wave? Your coronavirus questions, answered," 14 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidemiology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for epidemiology

borrowed from French, Spanish, or New Latin; French épidémiologie, borrowed from Spanish epidemiología, borrowed from New Latin epidēmiologia, from Medieval Latin epidēmia "disease affecting a large number of individuals, epidemic" + New Latin -o- -o- + -logia -logy — more at epidemic entry 1

Note: New Latin epidēmiologia was used in the title of a treatise by the Calabrian physician Quinto Tiberio Angelerio (1532-1617), Epidemiologia, sive Tractatus de peste (Madrid, 1598), a second edition of his earlier work Ectypa pestilentis status Algheriae Sardiniae (Cagliari, 1588), detailing methods to cope with a plague outbreak in Alghero, Sardinia, in 1582-83. The Latin word was revived by the Spanish physician Joaquín de Villalba (1752-1807) in his Epidemiología española (Madrid, 1802), a history of epidemics in Spain that was widely disseminated in Europe.

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