Washington DC, 25 March 2020 (PAHO)- The Virtual Campus for Public Health of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) launched the Spanish version of three online courses to provide information and guidance to countries in the Americas in the response to the novel coronavirus.
The courses were already available on the OpenWHO online learning platform in English, French, and Portuguese. All the courses are free and self-paced. The courses are:
Emerging respiratory viruses, including COVID-19: methods for detection, prevention, response and control
The course “Emerging respiratory viruses, including COVID-19: methods for detection, prevention, response, and control” provides a general introduction to COVID-19 and emerging respiratory viruses and is intended for public health professionals, incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs.).
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The course “Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” provides information on what facilities should be doing to be prepared to respond to a case of an emerging respiratory virus such as the novel coronavirus. It shows how to identify a case once it occurs, and how to properly implement IPC measures to ensure there is no further transmission to HCW or to other patients and others in the healthcare facility. This training is intended for healthcare workers and public health professionals, as it is focused on infection prevention and control. This course covers the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures required in order to: be prepared and ready to respond to an outbreak, in particular, the one due to COVID-19; limit human to human transmission by way of implementing WHO recommended IPC interventions; and identify, isolate and report suspect and confirmed cases.
ePROTECT Respiratory Infections
The course on “ePROTECT Respiratory Infections” is intended for all personnel responding to outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs). It provides basic knowledge and skills to mount an effective response to ARIs: what ARIs are, how they are transmitted, how to assess the risk of infection and to understand basic hygiene measures to protect themselves. This learning package consists of 4 modules with videos and downloadable presentations.
