Pre-conference: Contagion! A table-top outbreak management simulation

Wednesday 20 November, 09:00 - 12:30, Room Marseilleveyre

Organised by:

EUPHA Section Infectious disease control

Background

Hundreds of outbreaks occur each year worldwide, from local incidents managed locally to outbreaks with a global impact and visibility such as the ongoing outbreaks of Ebola in The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the measles outbreak affecting Europe and the USA.

Regardless of the size of the outbreak there are common steps to managing an outbreak. These steps span epidemiological and clinical management as well as communication and policy. While challenges will differ according to the scale and impact of the outbreak,  their nature is often similar.

A simulation exercise is a form of practice, training, monitoring or evaluation of capabilities involving the description or simulation of an emergency, to which a described or simulated response is made. According to WHO “simulation exercises enable people to practice their roles and functions and can help to develop, assess and test functional capabilities of emergency systems, procedures and mechanisms to respond to outbreak and public health emergencies. They are used to identify gaps and enhance preparedness capacity for response before an actual emergency occurs.”

In the field of communicable disease, this is particularly relevant in the context of outbreak control.

Programme

This pre-conference will focus on a simulated outbreak scenario and will highlight the specific aspects of outbreak management. Participants will be assigned specific roles as part of the outbreak management team, acting as a particular role/organization in the context of the scenario. The outcome of the scenario will depend on the actions of the team, and the simulation will be followed by a debrief led by epidemiologists experienced in managing real-life outbreaks. This pre-conference will be of interest to individuals working in, or interested in the different aspects of communicable disease control.

Detailed programme will follow.

Registration fee

The registration fee is € 70 which includes networking lunch and refreshments.