Epidemiology

Epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in a population”. To put it more simply, epidemiologist are “disease detectives” who use data to answer questions like: Who is getting sick? What is making them sick? Where is the problem occurring? When is the problem occurring? Why are some people more effected? How big is the health problem in our population? How can we better understand the disease? How can we prevent others from getting sick?

magnifying glass with germs

The Epidemiology Program is a part of the Division of Epidemiology, Surveillance, & Data Management within the Fresno County Department of Public Health. The Epidemiology Program focuses on the health of the various populations that make up the Fresno County community. The primary aim of the Program is to use data to monitor and improve the health of the local community. Epidemiologists in collaboration with other Department of Public Health programs, participate in disease surveillance and health data collection; disease investigation; data analysis, assessment, and management; and health communication. The Program works with other units within the Department as well as providing services to other agencies and the public.

Health Reports and Data

Public Health Epidemiologists produce several reports on disease statistics. To access these reports please visit the Fresno County Department of Public Health Data and Statistics webpage. All data posted is considered provisional unless otherwise stated.

Public Health Data & Statistics Webpage 


Additional Data RESources

California Community of Burden of Disease Engine

CDPH has designed a comprehensive interactive tool to explore over 15 years of California condition-specific mortality burden data, using a range of measures, displayed at the statewide, county, community, and census tract levels, with interactive rankings, charts, maps and trend visualizations. The public tool is a work in progress and was designed for use by health departments and community partners to provide systematic scientific insight to inform public health planning, evaluation, and action.

Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)

The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) dashboard provides data on patient characteristics in general acute case hospital settings in California by county and health care facility.

California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard

This dashboard is a result of ongoing collaboration between the CDPH, the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), formerly the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the Department of Justice, and the California Health Care Foundation. County level opioid data on deaths, ED visits, hospitalizations, and prescriptions by type of drug, geographic location, time, and demographics can be accessed.

California Department of Public Health - Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health

This dashboard provides state and county-level data on Women/Maternal, Perinatal/Infant, Child, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) and Adolescent.


Reporting Requirements
Disease reporting is the foundation of public health surveillance. The reporting of specific diseases is critical to public health and required by law. For more information on Disease or Animal Bite Reporting, please visit the Disease Reporting Requirements for Health Care Providers and Laboratories webpage.

Disease Reporting Requirements

Woman looking in microscope

 

Contact our offices

Epidemiology Program

Address: 1221 Fulton Street
Fresno, CA 93721

Fax: (559) 600-7607

Data Requests: To request data or project assistance from the Epidemiology Program please fill out the Epidemiology Program Data/Work Request Form.

Data & project requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.