Learn the terminology critical to public health and health security. Key concepts like outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics are explored alongside the roles of surveillance systems and hospitals in managing health crises.

Key Topics:

• Define terms such as outbreaks, pandemics, and Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC).
• Differentiate events, emergencies, crises, and disasters within health security contexts.
• Describe the operation of public health surveillance systems and their role in detecting and monitoring threats.
• Explain the importance of hospitals as critical infrastructure in health crisis response.

By the end of this module, participants will be able to identify health security terminology and explain how public health systems and hospitals support crisis management.

This module examines the challenges of public health surveillance in detecting and responding to emerging health threats. Through case studies, participants will explore the complexities of recognizing novel pathogens, defining cases, and managing hospital preparedness in uncertain and evolving health crises.

Key Topics:

• Identify the challenges in recognizing and verifying unusual outbreaks, including alert systems and response mechanisms.
• Analyze the limitations of public health surveillance, including diagnostic constraints and gaps in proactive versus reactive systems.
• Assess the hospital-level implications of surveillance gaps, including infection control, staffing, and supply chain preparedness.

By the end of this module, participants will identify key challenges in health security emergencies, recognize surveillance limitations, and apply evolving information to hospital preparedness.

Explore how health security warning systems operate and the critical stages of identifying and responding to hazards. Participants will learn to outline the components of these systems and their role in coordinated crisis response.

Key Topics:

• Classify health security hazards, including biological, chemical, and radiological threats.
• Outline the structure and functions of health security warning systems.
• Describe the lifecycle of a warning signal, from detection to response.

By the end of this module, participants will be able to outline health security hazards and describe the stages and components of warning systems.

Examine historical and contemporary health crises to understand the impact of warning systems and response strategies on crisis outcomes. This section uses real-world examples to highlight lessons learned.

Key Topics:

• Evaluate the 1918 influenza pandemic’s warning systems and their effectiveness.
• Analyze the Yugoslavian smallpox epidemic’s containment strategies.
• Examine the challenges of global responses to localized crises like the 1995 Ebola outbreak in Kikwit.
• Assess the initial warning signals and responses during COVID-19 in Wuhan.

By the end of this module, participants will be able to evaluate case studies and compare the effectiveness of warning systems and response strategies.

Understand how infection prevention objectives and response tiers can enhance hospital readiness during health crises. This section emphasizes integrating health security warnings with hospital protocols.

Key Topics:

• Identify infection prevention goals, such as minimizing transmission and protecting healthcare workers.
• Determine appropriate emergency response tiers for varying levels of health security warnings.
• Explain how health security warnings align with infection prevention strategies in hospitals.

By the end of this module, participants will be able to identify infection prevention objectives and determine effective hospital response strategies.

The FAQ session is a one-on-one discussion between Crisis Lab and the course instructor. It aims to provide a deeper understanding of the course content by addressing frequently asked questions and offering additional insights and perspectives.