Online Course on Public and Environmental Health in Emergencies
This course aims to instruct participants on how to critically design WASH responses to humanitarian crises while focusing on protecting public health.
For whom?
Professionals from the humanitarian WASH aiming to improve their competencies for career development; professionals from the water and sanitation sector (private, public or non-governmental sectors) aiming to expand their expertise to the humanitarian sector; students from IHE aiming to diversify their learning pathway with humanitarian WASH knowledge.
Course content
Topic 1: Introduction to WASH and public health in emergencies
- Introduction about the type of emergencies and disasters (tbc what is covered in the governance module)
- Introduction to communicable diseases and link to health
- Effects of disasters on environmental & public health facilities and services
- Introduction to the SPHERE standards on water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion
Topic 2: Design a WASH response to reduce risks of public health emergencies or to respond to public health crises
- The phases of humanitarian emergencies (in acute emergency phase vs protracted/long term crisis) from the public health perspective.
- Prevention and public health emergency preparedness.
- Introduction to the phases of project cycle management, highlighting the key phases from the public health perspective.
- Effective programme/project design and implementation.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
Topic 3: Epidemiology in emergencies
- Foundation of field epidemiology
- Conducting a field (outbreak) investigation (rapid assessments; cross sectional surveys) [incl. data collection methodology (objectives and data needs; protocols; surveys; sample size)]
- Data analysis (basic statistics; interpretation of outbreak data)
Topic 4: WASH approaches in emergency contexts
- Description of WASH approaches in low- and medium-income countries
- Health impacts of WASH interventions in disease outbreaks
Topic 5: WASH in health care facilities
- Health organization for emergencies and disasters
- Infection Prevention & Control
Course Coordinator
Claire Furlong
Senior Lecturer in Sanitary Engineering
Related
Student testimonial ·
Research with impact: goal for MSc student Feranmi Folahan from Nigeria
Feranmi Folahan from Nigeria studies at IHE Delft to gain skills to make the world a better place. A microbiologist with experience in analysing faecal-oral pathogens and an interest in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) field, he is pursuing the Research MSc in Water and Sustainable Development to get ready for an impactful research career.
News ·
Silvia Bentancur Caballero earns PhD for research on phosphorus removal efficiency
On 24 June, Silvia Bentancur Caballero from Uruguay defended her PhD thesis on the evaluation of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of the UPM pulp industry in her country to improve phosphorus (P) removal efficiency. She has been awarded a doctoral degree for her research. Her promotors are Professor Damir Brdjanovic and Prof. Hector Garcia Hernandez and her copromotor Dr. Carlos Lopez Vazquez.
Alumni interview ·
Alumni interview: Financial independence key for water & sanitation progress
For development to be truly sustainable, water and sanitation providers, even in poor countries, must work toward financial independence. That’s a key message delivered by African Water and Sanitation Association President Silver Mugisha, an IHE Delft alumnus who also is the Managing Director of Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation, in a filmed interview.