BSDP-588
Emerging Infections: Epidemiology and Public Health Importance

This course will present to the student an overview of Emerging Infectious Diseases, not only in the United States, but also internationally. The course will lead off with an overview of the topic, emphasizing topical issues and concerns. Selected topics in order of importance to public health will be examined, with an emphasis on the epidemiology of the infection and its public health impact, either potential or actual.

Course Number: BSDP-588
Classification: Elective
Credits Earned: 3
Term Available:Spring
Faculty: Jim Hinrichs

Course Description:
This course will present to the student an overview of Emerging Infectious Diseases, not only in the United States, but also internationally. The course will lead off with an overview of the topic, emphasizing topical issues and concerns. Selected topics in order of importance to public health will be examined, with an emphasis on the epidemiology of the infection and its public health impact, either potential or actual.

Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of the course the student will be able to:

• Define the concept of Emerging Infections (Institute of Medicine)
• Examine the concept of established infections becoming emerging infections because of resistance, change in reservoir, or climate changes.
• Use Pandemic Influenza preparation as an example of global tracking and preparation, emphasizing options for control and treatment.
• Examine historical pandemics as lessons to be learned in control of a future pandemic.
• Learn lessons from SARS, an infection that marshaled global interest and resources to control a previously unknown virus with an unclear method of contagiousness and capacity for international spread.
• Review other newly described respiratory pathogens that may impact future considerations on vaccine and treatment options. BSDP-588 Syllabus, pg. 2 Institute for Biosecurity Spring 2009
• Examine the HIV epidemic as the most defining epidemic of our era, with marked contrasts in epidemiology and risk groups, and marked disparity in the global response to treatment and prevention.
• Be aware of mini-epidemics of lethal viruses that could become global threats with their introduction into susceptible populations by natural or terrorist means (Lassa fever, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, monkey pox).
• Consider the impact to public health of the various hepatitis agents, with asymptomatic carriers expanding the extent of disease.
• Consider issues regarding returning travelers and their possible infections and the concern over parasitic and bacterial infections in deployed military forces and their return to the US.
• Consider emerging hospital associated infections and the change in community acquired infections in the US and developed countries, with emphasis on Clostridium difficile antibiotic associate diarrhea and MRSA.
• Examine some of the controversies around antibiotic development, use in livestock and poultry, and its impact on antibiotic resistance bacteria.
• Be aware of major global infections that are less common in the US, namely malaria and TB, including MDR and XDR TB.
• Examine emerging food and water borne gastrointestinal infections and their public health impact.
• Consider the public health impact of West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and the concern over the northward migration of Dengue fever (global warming).
• Explore how lessons learned from emerging infections can instruct public health professionals on responding to bioterrorist agents.

Course Format:
Lectures, reading assignments, course website discussions.