City health officials call for more disease detectives

Health directors of big cities across the country say they need far more epidemiologists to deal with the challenges posed by public health emergencies, citing findings from a new survey of 27 city health departments. Epidemiologists are scientists tasked with tracking disease outbreaks. The survey — coordinated by the Big Cities Health Coalition and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists — found that there are often far fewer epidemiologists for the size of a city than state staffing ratios recommend. “Some cities are woefully under-resourced,” the authors write. “Even in well-staffed departments, there is a perceived need for a significant increase in capacity.”