ABSTRACT
Infectious diseases received increased global attention since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Infectious diseases are ailments that are caused by microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other forms of parasites. These disorders are passed directly or indirectly from one person to another. Infectious diseases are leading causes of mortality, particularly, in low income countries. In addition to direct public health consequences, infectious diseases also generate social and economic shocks especially for the most vulnerable members of society. This chapter starts by discussing the burden of infectious diseases. This is followed by an explanation of why rapid detection and reporting are essential in curtailing the spread of these diseases, and how small area classifications can be used to support this agenda. Following this, epidemiological modelling approaches are used to demonstrate seasonal variations in the burden and patterns as well as their population level correlates for effective surveillance and deployment of resources and public health interventions. Measles outbreak data extracted from the dashboard of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) spanning 2006 to 2018 was used for the analysis.
