1. What are Incidence and Prevalence?

Incidence measures the rate of new cases of a disease in a population during a specific time period, while prevalence measures the proportion of a population that has a disease at a specific point in time.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses standard epidemiology formulas:

Where:

• New Cases — Number of newly identified cases during a time period
• At Risk Population — Number of people at risk of developing the disease
• Total Cases — All existing cases at a specific point in time
• Total Population — The entire population being studied

Explanation: Incidence helps understand disease risk and spread, while prevalence shows the overall disease burden in a population.

3. Importance of Epidemiology Measures

Details: These measures are fundamental in public health for disease surveillance, resource allocation, planning healthcare services, and evaluating intervention effectiveness.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter all values as whole numbers. The at-risk population and total population must be greater than zero. Results are presented as proportions (decimal values between 0 and 1).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between incidence and prevalence?
A: Incidence measures new cases over time, while prevalence measures all existing cases at a point in time.

Q2: Can incidence be higher than prevalence?
A: Yes, for acute diseases with short duration, incidence can be higher than prevalence.

Q3: How do you interpret these values?
A: Multiply by 100 to convert to percentages, or by 1000 to express as cases per 1000 people.

Q4: What time period should be used for incidence?
A: Typically one year, but it depends on the disease and study design.

Q5: Are there different types of prevalence?
A: Yes, point prevalence (at a specific time) and period prevalence (over a time interval).