Directions: In this section, you have a short passage. After the passage, you will find some items based on the passage. Read the passage carefully and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and the opinion of author only. We live in a time when globalisation is rapidly encompassing travel, information, trade and investment. The internet ties people together in ways unimagined a few years ago. The globalisation of health, however, remains an elusive goal, similar to the globalisation of economic well-being. Laurie Garrett, in The Coming Plague, describes an unwelcome form of globalisation: the globalisation of disease. Garrett examines the recent history of emerging diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Hantavirus, Rift Valley Fever, Legionnaires' disease, and others. She also explains the resurgence of familiar diseases like tuberculosis, cholera, and pneumonia as a consequence of the widespread and unwise use of antibiotics. Many of the new diseases are clearly linked to changes in land use, which brings humans into close contacts with rodents or other animals that harbour viruses previously unknown to medicine and often deadly to humans. Resurgent diseases, by contrast, are a creation of our medical practice. By treating people with antibiotics without restraint, we unknowingly select strains that are immune to the antibiotics and that pass on their resistant genes to unrelated bacteria by way of plasmid transfer. The heroes of her book are the women and men on the frontlines of epidemiology. Garrett makes a plea for a greater commitment from our universities, medical schools, and government agencies to train workers who will be capable of recognizing new diseases and who will be able to move about equally well in the laboratory, the hospital and the field in pursuit of knowledge and public-health intervention around the world.
Understanding Epidemiology in the Passage
The question asks for the meaning of the word "epidemiology" as it is used in the provided passage about the globalization of disease. The passage mentions Laurie Garrett's book, The Coming Plague, and discusses various diseases, both new and resurgent. It highlights the role of people working on the "frontlines of epidemiology" who need to recognize new diseases and engage in "public-health intervention around the world."
Analyzing the Term "Epidemiology"
To understand "epidemiology" in this context, let's look at the clues within the text:
- The passage discusses the spread of diseases (globalization of disease, emerging diseases, resurgent diseases).
- It also talks about intervention and recognizing new diseases, which implies taking action to manage or stop them.
- The work involves moving "equally well in the laboratory, the hospital and the field," suggesting a scientific and practical approach.
Evaluating the Options
Let's examine each option based on the passage's context:
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The historical study of the spread of diseases: While epidemiology does look at the spread of diseases, the passage emphasizes a current, active role in recognition and intervention, not just historical study. It implies a more scientific and proactive field.
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The scientific study of the spread and control of diseases: This option aligns perfectly with the passage. Epidemiology is indeed a scientific discipline focused on understanding how diseases spread (occurrence, patterns) and how to control them (prevention, intervention, public health strategies). The passage's mention of "public-health intervention" strongly supports the "control" aspect.
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The scientific study of the invention and uses of drugs: This describes fields like pharmacology or pharmaceutical science, not epidemiology. The passage mentions antibiotics causing resistance, but epidemiology is not primarily about drug invention.
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The scientific study of the uses of drugs: Similar to option 3, this focuses too narrowly on drugs and misses the broader scope of disease patterns and public health intervention central to epidemiology.
Conclusion
Based on the context provided in the passage, which discusses disease spread, public health, and intervention, "epidemiology" refers to the scientific study of the spread and control of diseases. This involves investigating the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations and applying this knowledge to public health.
Similar Questions
Which one of the following is a way to establish the discovery of a new language?
“The people may be known, but the identity of their language may not be”, means:
Which one of the following words from the passage means “come to be known”?
- What according to the passage is the 'unwelcome form of the globalization'?
1. Globalization of the diseases
2. Elusive goal of globalization
3. History of fatal diseases
4. Selective use of antibiotics
Select the correct answer using the code given below : - According to the passage, resurgent diseases are affected by:
1. Medical practices
2. Overuse of antibiotics
3. Emergence of new strains
Select the correct answer using the code given below : - According to the passage, many new diseases are emerging due to change in land use because
- According to the passage, globalisation of health has become imperative due to
Which one of the following is NOT the reason for the difficulty in estimating the number of languages of the world?
Which one of the following statements is correct?
- Why do twentieth century advances not seem sustainable ?
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
What is the meaning of ‘intrigued’?
What are ice shelves?
What are icebergs?
When the iceberg turns upside down, it appears ________.
The use of science in its simple form has helped man to ____________
