An Introduction to Participatory Epidemiology

Fan Lee

Abstract

Participatory epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology. It is coined to describe community participation of data collection and disease control, and therefore sometimes it is called participatory surveillance. Participatory epidemiology highly relies on indigenous knowledge and terminology. It is different from traditional epidemiology in five principles: attitude and behavior; combined methods of triangulation; use of key informants; action orientation; and methodological flexibility, adaptation and development. Methods of data collection in participatory epidemiology include semi-structure interviews, probing, scoring and ranking, and visualization method.

Avian influenza in Taiwan

Ming-Shiuh Lee

Abstract

In 1971, the H6N1 subtype of avian influenza viruses was first isolated in a northern duck farm in Taiwan. From 1986 to 1991, of wild bird and poultry influenza viruses was undertaken. In 1997, the Hong Kong health authorities confirmed human infections by the H5N1 subtype avian influenza virus. Several monitoring programs have thus been implemented to include the testing of migratory birds, poultry and imported birds. In 1997, the H6N1 subtype of avian influenza viruses was isolated from a chicken farm for the first time. Then in December 2003, the H5N2 subtype, a low pathogenic avian strain, broke out in a chicken farm, killing 380,000 chickens. In 2013, the first caseof a H6N1 subtype human infection was confirmed. In 2015, the H5N2, H5N3, and H5N8 subtypes of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses broke out. As a result, 1004 cases of geese, duck, and chicken infections were confirmed, and about 5.43 million poultry were culled. In 2017, the H5N6 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses was also detected. Currently in Taiwan the highly pathogenic and low-pathogenic H5N2 subtype of avian influenza viruses are still detected on poultry farms.