The epidemiologic vocabulary of the West and the Former Soviet Union: different sides of the same science

The purpose of this projectwas to develop an English-Russian Epidemiology Dictionary, which is needed for improved international collaboration in public health surveillance. Epidemiologic concepts and definitions significantly differed in the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Western literature. To improve biosurveillance and international collaboration, recognition of these differences must occur. Detailed analysis of epidemiology terminology differences will be discussed in the presentation and paper. Major limitations of the work were scarcity of prior research on the subject and lack of bilingual epidemiologists with the good understanding of FSU and Western approaches. A bilingual reference in the form of a dictionary will greatly improve mutual comprehension and collaboration in the areas of biosurveillance and public health practice.