BANS-184(EM) 2025-26

Descriptive epidemiology deals with the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” of disease occurrence. It helps to identify patterns of diseases across populations and serves as a precursor to analytic studies. • Use: Identifying health trends, allocating resources, generating hypotheses. • Example: A report detailing the number of dengue cases in Mumbai in 2023 and their demographic distribution. Descriptive studies include case reports, case series, and cross-sectional surveys. They do not explore the causes of disease but help in understanding the disease burden.