ABSTRACT
The field of social epidemiology focuses on understanding the causes and distribution of diseases and impairments within a population. Early in the history of the field, epidemiologists concentrated primarily on identifying the microorganisms responsible for epidemics of acute infectious diseases. Utilizing the germ theory of disease, epidemiologists achieved much success in identifying the responsible agents. The work of the epidemiologist has been compared to that of a detective or investigator. Epidemiologists scrutinize data on death and disease within societies, often searching for patterns or linkages within population subgroups or other meaningful changes over time. The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in the Zika Forest of Uganda in monkeys in 1947 and in humans in 1952. Infants, children, and women of reproductive age are at particularly high risk during this era, and are even often the victims of nutrition-related diseases.
