6.2.2: Other Applications
Consider how we might organize an epidemiological triangle for another infectious disease. We would need to learn the answers to several questions: What kind of pathogen is the agent? How does the disease get transmitted between humans? What type of environment is hospitable to the agent or increases the likelihood of transmission? What characteristics of the host make them more susceptible to disease? These factors help epidemiologists and policymakers develop policies, interventions, and harm-reduction strategies for different outbreaks.
Now consider how we might apply the epidemiological triangle to something other than an infectious disease. What about a disease caused by an environmental exposure such as radiation or lead? What about diseases caused by alcohol consumption, or cigarette smoke? Or what about traumatic injury or violence? Each of these could fill the role of the “agent”. And each of these epidemiological triangles would have different agent, environment and host factors.