Infectious Disease and Pandemic Preparedness – Under Construction

Influenza viruses are a global issue. Every year, it is estimated that 5% to 20% of the world’s population is infected with an influenza virus (commonly called “the flu”) and approximately half a million people die from this infection each year. New strains of influenza such as H1N1 (Swine Flu) or H5N1 (Bird Flu) are of particular concern. Global traffic, which contributes to the rapid spread of disease, coupled with a lag time for the creation of vaccines, increases the potential of these types of infections to reach pandemic status. At that stage, these infections can not only cause serious illness or death among a significant portion of the population but also cause considerable disruption to daily activities. During such events, appropriate infectious disease control measures and self preparedness techniques are key to minimizing impact.

The Infectious Disease and Pandemic Preparedness course is designed to give the learner an overall awareness and understanding of influenza, infectious disease, and pandemic preparedness. In addition to reviewing the causes, methods of transmission, and impacts of influenza infections, this course will describe personal preparedness measures to help minimize the spread of infectious disease.

Learning Objectives

When you have completed this course you will be able to:

• Recall a historical perspective of influenza and understand the current state of influenza infection
• Recall specific terminology related to infectious diseases and influenza pandemics
• Identify and classify influenza viruses
• Describe the methods of spreading influenza viruses
• Identify the causes of infectious diseases, epidemics, and pandemics
• Recall and explain the implications of a pandemic
• Recall and apply established methods of Infectious Disease Control
• Identify personal protective techniques to minimize the spread of infectious disease
• Recall how to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)