Course introduction

1
Course introduction

• Preben Aavitsland

2
EpiTrain

• EpiTrain within the EpiNorth framework
• Second in a series of courses
• Advanced epidemiology
• For senior epidemiologists
• English only
• Financed by
• European Commission
• Nordic Council of Ministers
• Participating institutes

3
Teaching methods

• Lectures
• With time for questions
• Group work
• Organised larger groups
• Ad hoc, small groups during lectures
• Presentations of group work
• Written material
• Schedule somewhat flexible!

4
Faculty and administration

• Preben Aavitsland, MD
• Norwegian Institute of Public Health
• Hanne-Merete Eriksen, MSc, Epiet
• Norwegian Institute of Public Health
• Hilde Kløvstad, MPH, Epiet
• Norwegian Institute of Public Health
• Anne Mazick, MD, Epiet
• State Serum Institute, Denmark
• Isabelle Devaux, MD
• Institute de Veille Sanitaire, France
• Liselotte Högberg
• Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control

• Germain Thinus
• European Commission, Luxembourg.
• Chryssa Grillis, MD
• Hellenic Centre for Infectious Disease Control
• Denis Coloumbier, MD
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and
  Control (ECDC)
• Tommi Asikainen, MSc
• Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control
• Stein Andresen, DDS
• Norwegian Institute of Public Health
• Vibeke Gundersen, BA
• Norwegian Institute of Public Health

5
Contents - 1

• Surveillance (P Aavitsland, D Coloumier, C
  Gryllis, H Eriksen, L Högberg, I Devaux, K
  Kutsar)
• Principles
• Evaluation
• Analysis
• Epidemic intelligence
• Electronic systems
• Special issues
• Nosocomial infections, mass gatherings,
  antibiotic resistance, HIV, Estonia
• Group work

6
Contents - 2

• EU and WHO issues (G Thinus, D Coloumbier, P
  Aavitsland, I Devaux)
• General issues in EU
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and
  Control
• International Health Regulations
• EuroHIV

7
Contents - 3

• Randomized controlled trials (H Kløvstad)
• Design
• Conduct
• Influenza preparedness (D Coloumbier)
• Pandemic preparedness
• Surveillance
• Communication (P Aavitsland)
• Outbreak communication

8
Main group work - introduction

• Design a surveillance system for a given public
  health problem in a given setting
• Based on a template for surveillance systems
• Five groups of six-seven people
• Each group elects
• Chair
• Secretary (must have/borrow PC)
• Presenter (may be one of the two above)
• All participate in discussion
• Hard, interesting and rewarding work
• May divide in sub-groups for certain tasks
• Light facilitation by Preben, Hilde, Anne, Hanne,
  Isabelle, Liselotte, Denis, Chryssa
• Questions and problems also in plenary

9
Main group work suggested timeline

• Thursday (3,5 h)
• Revisit objectives
• 4 Administrative issues
• Friday (2 h)
• Finalise description of the system
• Revisit all issues
• Prepare presentation
• Saturday (2,5 h)
• Present and discuss

• Monday (2 h)
• Elect chair, secretary, presenter
• 1 Bakground
• Tuesday (2 h)
• 2 Objective
• 3 Design and operations
• Wednesday (3,5 h)
• 3 Design and operations

10
Topics for main group work

• A Surveillance of important public health events
  during the Roma fair in Budoprag
• B Surveillance of nosocomial infections in
  Sogavia
• C Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in
  Larinia
• D Surveillance of influenza in Loland
• E Surveillance of HIV infection in Slavinia

11
Why surveillance?

• Increasing importance
• Increasing demands on public health authorities
• New public health problems that need surveillance
• Harmonisation of methods
• New methods
• We all have systems that need improvement