Outbreak Management
PostgraduateTAS-CAM6372024
Course information for 2024 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Outbreak Management
About this subject
Upon completion of this subject , the student should be able to:
- Apply the ten steps of an outbreak investigation to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health incidents
- Apply a risk assessment framework to verify the existence of an outbreak by assessing surveillance data and public health intelligence
- Apply appropriate epidemiological methods to support outbreak investigations, consolidate the epidemiological results with other evidence obtained during outbreak investigations to determine the source of the outbreaks, and recommend appropriate interventions to controls outbreaks and prevent further cases
- Communicate an outbreak investigation using risk communication principles and appropriate documentation
- Week 1 - Module 1: Introduction to Outbreak Management
- Week 2 - Module 2: Determining there is an outbreak
- Week 3 - Module 3: Plan investigation and form Outbreak Investigation Team
- Week 4 - Module 4: Define, find and count cases
- Week 5 - Module 5: Describe cases by person, place and time
- Week 6 - Module 6: Generate hypotheses about the outbreak cause or source
- Week 7 - Module 7: Test the hypotheses through epidemiological investigation
- Week 8 - Module 8: Conduct environmental, laboratory and other investigations
- Week 9 - Module 9: Implement control and prevention measures
- Week 10 - Module 10: Communicate the findings of an outbreak
- Week 11 - Module 11: Declare the outbreak over
- Week 12 - Module 12: The public health role in the emergency management structure
- Week 13 - Module 13: Other outbreak types
This subject provides essential background to professionals working in local, state and national settings for effective outbreak response. Students will learn the skills and knowledge required to respond to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health incidents. This includes: the ten steps of outbreak investigations; assessment of public health surveillance data and intelligence; using risk assessment frameworks; applying appropriate epidemiological findings and evidence; risk communication principles; and appropriate interventions to control outbreaks. This subject is relevant to people working within local, state or national government, hospital staff, residential care staff, non-government agencies, and emergency response workers. Local examples will be used to teach concepts, and students will be able to draw on their own experiences and their role in their own workplace during the workshop and when completing assessment tasks.
This subject is taught in standard online format in Semester 1, or online format with 4x1 day online workshops in Semester 2.
Students interested in taking the Semester 2 workshop option can email nicola.stephens@utas.edu.au for further details. Delivery of the workshop in other locations including workplace training can also be discussed.
- Outbreak Scenario 1 (40%)
- Outbreak Scenario 2 (40%)
- On-line Discussion Board and Workshop Participation (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- TAS-HLP-GCE-2024 - Graduate Certificate in Health Protection
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Teaching Arrangement: Semester 1 - Independent Learning 6 hours weekly; Tutorial (Online) 2 hours (3 times). Semester 2 - 4 x 1-day intensive online workshops
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Graduate Certificate in Health Protection
PostgraduateTAS-HLP-GCE