Extras · 1 of 4

A typical day

Mostly a desk, a laptop and a lot of data. You clean case reports, run statistics, build a chart showing whether flu is rising this week, and write a short briefing for the medical officer of health. A call comes in about six people sick after the same wedding: you build a questionnaire, phone the guests, and compare who ate what. A meeting with inspectors and nurses about what to close or who to vaccinate. Some weeks are quiet; an outbreak week can be 12-hour days.