To understand disease distribution, epidemiologists use several measures:
1. Incidence: This is the number of new cases of a disease that occur in a specific population during a defined period. It helps in understanding the risk of developing the disease.
2. Prevalence: This refers to the total number of cases, both new and existing, in a population at a given time. It provides an estimate of how widespread the disease is.
3. Mortality Rate: This is the number of deaths due to a disease in a specific population over a period. It helps in assessing the severity and impact of the disease.
4. Morbidity Rate: This measures the frequency of occurrence of disease among a population in a given period. It includes both incidence and prevalence rates.
