Search results
Learn how to detect, confirm and control waterborne outbreaks using a 10-step approach. See examples, case definitions, data collection and analysis methods, and communication strategies.
- Skill targeted: Decision-making
- Activities
Launching an outbreak investigation requires planning and strategy. In public health epidemiologists and other public health experts use a series of steps to answer 3 key questions, “what is the problem?, what is the cause? and what can we do about it?”. They use information and data to make decisions throughout an outbreak investigation. Sometimes, the data is not easy to read. So, experts use a variety of strategies and studies to try to identify the source of an outbreak and what works to control it. Because every scenario is different, it is important for them to think critically about how to interpret and use results to solve the problem.
In this section, students use research, engineering, and communication strategies to respond to outbreak scenarios like a disease detective.
Students will learn how to:
•Synthesize empirical data for the purpose of assessing need and risk
•Develop evidence-based explanations regarding cause and effect
•Prioritize operational tasks to achieve solutions
Find up-to-date, comprehensive tools for investigating outbreaks of infectious and non-infectious diseases and hazards. The WHO Outbreak Toolkit standardizes data collection and improves comparability and sharing of data across teams, locations, and time frames.
List the steps in the investigation of an outbreak. Given the initial information of a possible disease outbreak, describe how to determine whether an epidemic exists. Describe the importance of having a case definition and the factors to consider in developing a case definition.
Jul 28, 2009 · The investigation of an outbreak makes simultaneous use of epidemiological, microbiological, toxicological, and clinical methods in order to develop and test hypotheses about the causes of the outbreak.
- Ralf Reintjes, Aryna Zanuzdana
- 2010
- 10.1007/978-0-387-93835-6_9
In this module, students learn how public health experts follow steps of an outbreak investigation and communicate their findings. Using data from a fictional, novel emerging respiratory disease (NERD) outbreak at a summer camp, students develop hypotheses, analyze data, and develop tailored communication materials for different audiences.
This chapter describes a field investigation in the context of a public health response to a presumed acute infectious disease outbreak, although this approach also applies to other scenarios and problems.
