Public health workers try to understand why an illness is spreading within a community, or what can be done to stop people from getting hurt in a workplace. In a way, they are like detectives looking for answers to an unsolved mystery. They interview people, study medical records, and try to make sense of the clues they gather.
Public health workers are different from medical practitioners—people who practice medicine and treat individuals for regular checkups or after they have become sick or injured. Public health workers identify and understand disease transmission and help communities prevent disease from spreading.
In this lesson, we will look at what happens when there is a suspected outbreak—a sudden increase—of a disease. Using an actual case, you’ll see how these public health workers solved a public health mystery and protected the communities they serve.