Epidemiologist

Studies how diseases spread across populations and develops strategies to prevent outbreaks.

Did you know?

John Snow (not the GoT one) is seen as a founder of modern epidemiology. In 1854 he traced a London cholera outbreak to one water pump.

Biology: Work out how a virus passes between people, whether by air, water or touch.
Mathematics: Build models that predict how fast an outbreak will grow if nothing is done.
Statistics: Compare sick and healthy groups of people to find what is really causing an illness.
Health Sciences: Plan vaccination and hygiene campaigns that slow the spread of a disease.
Chemistry: Trace a poison or pollutant in the water or food supply that is making a town ill.

John Snow: Traced an 1854 London cholera outbreak to a water pump, a founding moment of epidemiology.

Lay a long strip of newspaper on the ground outside or in the bath, and mix water with a drop of food colouring in the spray bottle.
Hold the bottle at mouth height at one end and give one hard squirt, like a sneeze. Measure the furthest drop.
Squirt again with your hand in front of the nozzle, then again with a tissue in front. Measure each time.
Write your three distances in a table. Which way of catching a sneeze works best?

Epidemiologists and infection-control teams study how far droplets travel to decide advice on tissues, masks and keeping apart.

Also try: Check a medicine label (a made-up one).

USA, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada