Understanding the Wuhan Coronavirus through the Epidemic Triangle

Six positive cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States in Illinois, Washington, California, and Arizona. The CDC is closely monitoring the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus named 2019-mCoV. The situation developing rapidly and public health officials are walking the line between epidemic readiness and needless panic. This New York Times article attempts to cut through the headlines and use a simple concept called the “epidemic triangle.” Employed by epidemiologists since the discipline’s earliest days, it is indispensable in predicting whether localized outbreaks will transform into full-blown epidemics.

Read more at the Nytimes.com

Epidemic Triangle
Every epidemic is the result of a dynamic shift in one of these points of the epidemic triangle, which then causes a domino effect leading to a sudden explosion of new cases.