![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.jpg)
Key Objectives:
- Presentation of an overview of the proposed curriculum, including the proposed key concepts of the course and the current format
- Discussion of how the proposed curriculum could be altered to be of maximum benefit to STLT public health agencies, including input on what concepts might need more or less emphasis, the preferred method of delivery, and the ideal course length
- Discussion of the types of toxic outbreaks that participants’ agencies are currently called upon to investigate
Brief Summary:
Public health officials have noted a recent increase in reports of outbreaks that are due to toxic (i.e., non-infectious) etiologies; recent high-profile events include outbreaks that were traced back to contaminated nutritional supplements and contaminated synthetic marijuana. Outbreaks of toxic etiology can present challenges that are unique from outbreaks of infectious etiology; thus, their investigation often requires a modified approach. Expertise in environmental epidemiology and subsequently in the investigation of toxic outbreaks tends to be limited at state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health agencies, where the emphasis tends to be on infectious disease. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) recently noted that there is a need for materials to train public health practitioners in how to respond to toxic outbreaks. To fill this gap, the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing a short course to train staff at STLT public health agencies in how to identify when an outbreak might be due to a toxin, and how to apply epidemiologic principles when investigating these outbreaks. The goal of this course is to strengthen the capacity of STLT public health agencies to respond to toxic outbreaks and subsequently to reduce morbidity and mortality in the populations they serve. During this roundtable discussion, we will introduce the proposed curriculum and solicit input from attendees on how this course could be of maximum benefit to enhance capacity at their agencies.