Epidemiologists use various methods to identify attack patterns. These include:
- Descriptive epidemiology: This involves characterizing the outbreak by time, place, and person. Time patterns could be seasonal or cyclical, place patterns can show clustering in specific areas, and person patterns look at demographics like age, gender, and occupation. - Analytical studies: Case-control and cohort studies help identify associations between exposure and disease, providing insight into potential causes. - Surveillance systems: Ongoing data collection and analysis can detect unusual patterns indicative of an outbreak.
