Communicable Disease Control

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Examine ethical frameworks to inform the practice of communicable disease control, particularly in respect to vulnerable populations.
• Evaluate policies and programmes used in the prevention and control of selected communicable diseases of public health importance.
• Explain the balance between population and individual perspectives when practising communicable disease control.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Manage your own learning and work effectively to deadlines
• Critically discuss and evaluate information.
• Effectively communicate epidemiological concepts including risk in a variety of ways to different audiences.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Apply knowledge of communicable disease epidemiology to strategies for prevention and control, leading to improvements in public health.
• Explain the principles of surveillance, the characteristics of different surveillance systems, their strengths and weaknesses and their application to disease control.
• Discuss the major methods for transmission of communicable diseases.
• Choose epidemiological methods to investigate and manage outbreaks.

• Basic concepts in infectious disease epidemiology.
• Natural history, clinical presentation, methods of diagnosis and control of infections of national and international public health importance including emerging diseases and untoward release of infectious agents.
• Use of surveillance systems nationally and internationally to monitor infectious disease activity.
• The design, evaluation, and management of immunisation programmes.
• The steps in outbreak investigation including the use of relevant epidemiological methods and organisation of infection control.
• Basic concepts of infectious disease genomics for communicable disease control.
• International aspects of communicable disease control including International Health Regulations.
• Ethical aspects of communicable disease control.

Teaching and learning methods

A variety of methods will be used including lectures, problem-based learning sessions, group work, practical exercises, guided reading, group study and individual study. Some of the lectures and participatory sessions will be facilitated by clinicians and scientists from the University of Southampton, NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre and University Hospital Southampton as well as external centres such as the UK Health Security Agency. Delivery will be face-to-face. In the event this is not possible delivery will be through MS Teams or similar.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.