About this Course

4,724 recent views

March 2014 marked the starting point of the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease in history. Although the disease seems to be on a decrease, we are not there yet and new outbreaks will surely emerge. New efforts to combat the outbreak are necessary. This is why we developed this online course about Ebola, targeted at health professionals across the world.
In this course you will cover the fundamental knowledge any health professional should have with expected or confirmed cases or a general interest in the Ebola disease. You will discuss the epidemiology of the disease, its  pathophysiology and transmission, the clinical presentation including differential diagnosis and confirmation of disease. You will also discuss the general therapeutic approach to the care of Ebola suspected or confirmed patients and discuss the novel vaccine and drug developments.

As the Ebola crisis continues to rage through the affected areas, we need health professionals like yourself to be informed and involved.

This course is developed in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Amsterdam, the University Medical Center Utrecht (Julius Center/Julius Global Health), Elevate Health, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Lion Heart Foundation.

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Greek, German, Indonesian, Turkish, English, Kannada...

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Greek, German, Indonesian, Turkish, English, Kannada...

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating99%(2,828 ratings)

Week

1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

About the course

Here you will find general information about the course. The learning objectives, the structure, the format and the requirements of completion will be presented to you. The course credits and a short survey are part of this first learning unit as well.

1 hour to complete

1 video , 4 readings

1 video

Welcome to the course

4 readings

Introduction10m

Course syllabus10m

Short survey10m

Credits10m

Week

2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Epidemiology

This learning unit describes the epidemiology of Ebola virus disease, past outbreaks and the current West African Ebola outbreak.

2 hours to complete

1 video , 8 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction lecture

8 readings

Introduction10m

The Filoviridae family10m

Classification10m

History of the filoviruses10m

Ebola in the news10m

Current outbreak10m

Past outbreaks10m

References10m

1 practice exercise

Final Quiz Epidemiology10m

Week

3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Transmission and natural reservoirs

This learning unit describes the probable transmission routes and reservoir(s) of Ebola viruses, which can cause a wide array of symptoms and are often fatal.

2 hours to complete

1 video , 9 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction lecture

9 readings

Introduction10m

The 'hunt' for the natural reservoir10m

Risk of transmission through animals10m

Risk of transmission from person to person10m

Assignment10m

Answers10m

A matter of discussion10m

References10m

1 practice exercise

Final Quiz Transmission and natural reservoirs6m

Week

4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Pathophysiology

This unit will focus on what happens when the virus enters and spreads throughout the body.

3 hours to complete

1 video , 5 readings, 2 quizzes

1 video

Introduction lecture

5 readings

Introduction10m

Pathogenisis and pathophysiology10m

Glossary10m

Relevant literature10m

References10m

1 practice exercise

Final Quiz Pathophysiology8m

Week

5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, diagnosis

In this learning unit, the focus lies on the clinical symptoms you may encounter when examining patients suspected of ebola virus disease (EVD). The modes of infection of Ebola, incubation time, symptoms, lab findings, differential diagnosis, clinical characteristics of the current epidemic, and complications and outcomes will be discussed.

2 hours to complete

1 video , 10 readings, 2 quizzes

1 video

Introduction lecture

10 readings

Introduction10m

Modes of infection and incubation ime10m

Symptoms10m

Differential diagnosis10m

Assignment10m

Answers10m

Complications and outcome10m

Clinical characteristics10m

Diagnostics10m

References10m

2 practice exercises

Short self-test2m

Final Quiz Clinical presentation10m

Week

6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Therapeutic approaches

The primary objective of this learning unit is to provide you with sufficient knowledge on how to fight the Ebola epidemic from a clinical perspective: how is Ebola virus disease (EVD) treated and how can transmission of the virus be prevented? In addition, this unit gives an overview of the experimental therapeutic options and vaccines.

2 hours to complete

1 video , 9 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction lecture

9 readings

Introduction10m

Supportive care10m

Useful links and case reports on supportive care10m

Medical interventions10m

Experimental supportive care and treatment10m

Prevention10m

Vaccine development10m

Interactive medical case10m

References10m

1 practice exercise

Final Quiz Therapeutics10m

Week

7

Week 7

2 hours to complete

Ebola in the field: The Médecins Sans Frontières experience

In this learning unit you will explore the reality in the field of the care for Ebola patients through the experiences of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Since the start of the Ebola outbreak in West-Africa, MSF has provided care to Ebola patients in Ebola Management Centers (EMCs) across the affected countries Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the interventions in DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Mali, Senegal and Nigeria.

2 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 13 min), 11 readings, 1 quiz

3 videos

Introduction lecture

Lecture6m

Main stakeholders in the current outbreak6m

11 readings

Introduction10m

Ebola Management Center (EMC)10m

Protection of patients10m

Protection of staff10m

Protection of Community10m

Assignment part I10m

Assignment part II10m

Introduction10m

Six Pillars10m

Dilemmas10m

Assignment10m

1 practice exercise

Final Quiz MSF10m

Week

8

Week 8

2 hours to complete

Ebola in the field: confronted with Ebola in an existing hospital of the Lion Heart Foundation in Sierra Leone

In this learning unit an example will be given of what consequences the Ebola outbreak has had in the practice. We present you the tough reality in a NGO hospital in Sierra Leone, hear from its staff and experience their work. While reading you can watch corresponding videos.

2 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 1 min), 11 readings

11 videos

Introduction lecture

Welcome from Sierra Leone40s

Community and Trust

Interview with cleaners

Stigma of Ebola

Introduction lab technician Roosevelt Lahai

Medical Staff Survivor

Reopening the hospital for basic health care

Impression of the operation room

Trust and experience in the team

Impression of cautionary measures and preparations

11 readings

Introduction10m

Preparations10m

Safety10m

Distrust towards the health care system10m

Coordination of the fight against the outbreak10m

Closing down the hospital10m

Reopening the hospital10m

A new case definition10m

Deliveries10m

Conclusion10m

Assignment10m

Week

9

Week 9

2 hours to complete

Final assignment and survey

2 hours to complete

2 readings

2 readings

Final survey10m

Farewells10m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.

The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Access all lectures, readings, and assignments for free

Ebola: Essential Knowledge for Health Professionals