Outbreaks and Epidemics
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Outbreaks and Epidemics
This course is part of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Specialization
Instructor: Justin Lessler, PhD, MS
19,061 already enrolled
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777 reviews
777 reviews
What you'll learn
Apply methods to weigh evidence and calculate measures
Discuss outbreaks and the key epidemiologic tools used during investigation
Apply basic epidemic dynamics to the analysis of outbreaks
Details to know
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There are 4 modules in this course
Professional epidemiologists are often called on to investigate outbreaks and epidemics. This course serves as an introduction to the essentials of investigation, identifying pathogens, figuring out what's going on, reporting, and responding. You'll learn how to ask precise epidemiologic questions and apply epidemiologic tools to uncover the answers. You'll also learn about basic epidemic dynamics and the terrible law that cause them to grow, as well as the reasons why they recede and eventually go away. The course concludes with deep dives into some real outbreaks from Ebola, in West Africa, to the opioid epidemic in the United States.
In this module we're going to be talking about outbreaks. All the way through identifying the pathogens and figuring out what's going on to reporting and responding to the outbreak. In doing so we're going to learn several important epidemiological concepts.
What's included
8 videos1 reading1 assignment
8 videos•Total 40 minutes
- Introduction to Course and Identifying and Investigating Outbreaks: The Basics•0 minutes
- Step 0: What Is an Outbreak?•6 minutes
- Step 1: Identify Cases•6 minutes
- Step 2: Describe the Outbreak by Person, Place, and Time•7 minutes
- Step 3: Identify and Characterize the Cause•6 minutes
- Step 4: Risk Factor Study in a Defined Population•5 minutes
- Step 4: Risk Factor Study in an Open Population•6 minutes
- Step 5: Intervene and Report•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Course Projects•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Identifying and Investigating Outbreaks•30 minutes
In this module, we'll be learning about how to ask precise epidemiologic questions and how to investigate these using important tools.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
6 videos•Total 47 minutes
- Introduction to Weighing Evidence and Identifying Causes•0 minutes
- General Questions to Precise Hypotheses•8 minutes
- Identifying Comparison Groups•10 minutes
- Basic Measures of Association 1, Risk Difference•6 minutes
- Basic Measures of Association 2, Relative Risk•7 minutes
- Understanding Basic Statistical Tests•16 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Weighing Evidence and Identifying Causes•30 minutes
In this module, we'll be talking about basic epidemic dynamics and the terrible law that causes epidemics to grow, and the reasons why epidemics recede and eventually go away
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 assignment
6 videos•Total 41 minutes
- Introduction to The Terrible Law: Basic Epidemic Dynamics•0 minutes
- Measures of Transmissibility: Attack Rates•11 minutes
- Measures of Transmissibility: Reproductive Numbers•6 minutes
- Natural History•10 minutes
- Implications for Control•12 minutes
- Summary of The Terrible Law: Basic Epidemic Dynamics•1 minute
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Further Reading•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- The Terrible Law: Basic Epidemic Dynamics•30 minutes
In this module, we're going to take a deep dive in some outbreaks from Ebola, in West Africa, to the opioid epidemic in the United States.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
4 videos•Total 42 minutes
- Introduction to Case Studies in Outbreaks and Epidemics: From Ebola to Overdose•0 minutes
- Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in the United States•13 minutes
- Ebola in West Africa•19 minutes
- Opioids in West Virginia•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Case Studies in Outbreaks and Epidemics: from Ebola to opioids•30 minutes
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Reviewed on Dec 29, 2022
Learnt a lot about epidemiology that I originally thought would not be involved as in-depth as it is in reality. There is a lot more statistics involved than I originally thought
Reviewed on Feb 20, 2020
An enjoyable, and really great review! I learned so much, and refreshed so much I had forgotten I knew! Everyone should take this.
Reviewed on Jan 14, 2021
This is a very relevant course (especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic) and neatly illustrates the conceptual components of an outbreak investigation and an epidemic study.
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