Nab those microbes

• Q: What is epidemiology? How does one become an epidemiologist?

Vineet Kalra

• A: Just as a crime remains a mystery until solved (with the help of forensic and criminology inputs), the outbreak of a disease also remains a mystery until it is solved through epidemiological methods.

Epidemiology seeks to study the patterns and causes of diseases. Epidemiologists collect and interpret data on diseases in order to prevent, control and treat them. Major discoveries in the field of public health have been due to detailed epidemiological analyses of diseases.

It is due to the work of epidemiologists that smallpox has been eradicated from the world, polio nearly eliminated and the link between smoking and lung cancer established. As opposed to the curative emphasis of mainstream medicine, epidemiology focusses on preventive medicine.

The trick lies in quickly identifying the mode of transmission of the disease and applying preventive measures. For instance, the transmission route of a deadly strain of encephalitis virus was traced from fruit bats (flying foxes) to pigs to humans and then to other humans!

In India, epidemiologists have traditionally been MBBS graduates specialising in preventive medicine. Now postgraduate courses are being offered by several government and private institutions to train epidemiologists.

Among the major institutions in this field are the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi; National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai; All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Calcutta, and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

Epidemiologists are employed by NGOs, research institutions, universities, and international institutions such as WHO and UNICEF. They also serve as government health officers.

Stuck in the pipeline

• Q: I am a lawyer and the father of a prospective law student. There was a buzz about a joint entrance exam for different five-year law courses. But nothing of the sort has happened. What’s wrong?

• R.P. Gupta

• A: You heard right. Spurred by student demand and a Supreme Court directive, the process to have a common exam was begun in October 2006, with the first test expected in 2007. But procedural formalities were completed a little too late. With all parties now having signed the agreement, the exam will definitely be held in 2008.

Next year, law school aspirants will have to take a Common Entrance Test (CET) for the national law universities at Bangalore, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Calcutta and Raipur. Nearly 20,000 students are expected to take the exam.

Master the basics of the capital market

• Q: I would like to become a mutual fund agent. Are there any courses which would help or books that I could read on the subject?

• Girish Barnwal

• A: With the capital market riding on the back of a booming Indian economy, mutual funds have emerged as an important financial intermediary for the investing public. Although assets of the 30-odd Indian funds have jumped skywards, investors need to understand how a mutual fund works and the increasingly diverse and complex investment options that they have created.

The agent or distributor assumes the role of financial advisor and is the key channel for bringing mutual funds to a large number of investors all over the country. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), which sets the industry standards for all funds operating in India, has a certification process — the AMFI Mutual Fund Test.
This certification has been made mandatory by the Securities and Exchange Board of India for anyone engaged in selling mutual funds — agents as well as those employed in distribution companies and banks.

Upon clearing the test, you can apply for your AMFI registration which will certify you as an AMFI registered mutual fund advisor (ARMFA).

The test can be taken by anyone (regardless of age or qualification). The automated multiple-choice online test requires no prior knowledge of computers. Papers are set for each candidate separately and assessed online.

The AMFI mutual fund test is also offered as a separate module of the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) certification in financial markets (NCFM) along with other subjects such as derivative trading and capital markets.

AMFI has prepared the necessary study material to help you prepare for the test. The workbook can be obtained from the AMFI office in Mumbai. For details, log on to www.amfiindia. com/testingprogram. html. You may also contact your nearest NSE centre to register for the test for a fee of Rs 500. There is no restriction on the number of attempts. Visit www.nse-india.com for details.

Two books on the subject that you can read are The Indian Mutual Funds Handbook by Sundar Sankaran and The New Commonsense Guide to Mutual Funds by Paul Farrel — both published by Vision Books, New Delhi.