Are you studying a course in veterinary epidemiology? Do you need a book that explains epidemiology in an understandable way? Dirk Pfeiffer is Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK. He has designed and taught international training courses in epidemiology all over the developed and developing world, from Australia to Vietnam. He currently provides scientific expertise to the European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission, DEFRA, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization and various national governments. He has over 20 year's practical experience in the field and continues to work on some of the most high profile cases of global animal health. Dirk brings his wealth of knowledge to this concise introduction to the subject. This book covers all the core principles you need to know for your epidemiology course, including: * The basic epidemiological concepts * Understanding and designing epidemiological studies * Measuring cause-effect relationships * Statistical analysis and bias * Sampling methodology * Interpreting diagnostic tests * The basic concepts of disease control and eradication The book will also be of use to animal health professionals who need an easy-to-understand introduction to the subject

Table of Contents

Preface. Acknowledgements. 1 Introduction. 2 General epidemiological concepts. 3 Quantifying disease occurrence. 4 Designing epidemiological studies. 5 Measuring effects. 6 Considering error and cause--effect. 7 Sampling of animal populations. 8 Interpreting diagnostic tests. 9 Informing disease control and eradication. References. Index.

About the Author

Dirk Pfeiffer is Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK. He has designed and taught international training courses in epidemiology all over the developed and developing world, from Australia to Vietnam. He currently provides scientific expertise to the European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission, DEFRA, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization and various national governments. He has over 20 year's practical experience in the field and continues to work on some of the most high profile cases of global animal health.