The conventional definition of epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations, and the application of this study to control health problems.” Simply put, epidemiologists count people with certain diseases or conditions. For example, epidemiologists count cases of disease, define the affected population, and then compute rates of disease in Maricopa County.

Anyone who wants data relating to diseases in Maricopa County can fill out a data request form and fax it to us. We request at least two weeks to complete the request, although some requests may take more or less than the two week time frame.

A communicable disease is an illness caused by infectious agents or toxins transmitted from an infected person, animal, or object to another susceptible person. Transmission can be person to person or through the environment. Examples of communicable diseases are: Cholera, Whooping Cough, Meningitis, Chicken Pox, Influenza, Hepatitis A, and Measles.

Monthly communicable disease reports will soon be available at this site. Click here to refer to these tables concerning communicable diseases reportable by law.

No, the Arizona State Department of Health collects data for the entire state. Please refer to the ADHS web page or call ADHS Bureau of Public Health Statistics at (602)542-7333 for more information.

Any epidemiologist will tell you that there is a lot of confusion surrounding the term “epidemiology.” The most common misconception about epidemiology is that it is the study of skin diseases. The more conventional definition of epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations, and the application of this study to control health problems.” Simply put, epidemiologists count people with certain diseases or conditions. For example, epidemiologists count cases of disease, define the affected population, and then compute rates of disease in Maricopa County.

Epidemiologists, or “disease detectives,” are an important part of the Department of Public Health. Epidemiologists are called to action under a variety of circumstances, for example, if many people become sick after attending an event. For an epidemiologist, investigating an outbreak is one of the most exciting parts of the job. Many times, the cause and source of the outbreak are unknown, a large number of people may be affected, the community involved may be fearful of more people falling ill, and there may be hostility and denial when, or if, the source is identified.

Outbreaks are identified in one of two ways. The most common way is through a call from a doctor, or health care provider, or even a citizen who knows of people becoming ill. The other method is through a routine check of surveillance data. Here in Maricopa County, epidemiologists gather data on certain diseases in the county and monitor this information on a regular basis.