Introduction

In an era marked by pandemics, climate-related health crises, biothreats, and rapid urbanization, enhancing public health emergency preparedness is critical for global health security and population resilience. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Training Course is a high-impact, multidisciplinary program designed to strengthen the capacity of professionals to plan, manage, and respond effectively to public health emergencies. This course integrates epidemiology, emergency planning, risk communication, logistics, and coordination principles to equip participants with the tools and knowledge needed for comprehensive health emergency readiness and response.

Through practical scenarios, global standards, and case-based learning, participants will develop emergency operation plans, understand incident management systems, and implement surveillance and early warning mechanisms for health-related threats. This course prepares stakeholders to prevent outbreaks, mitigate health risks, and sustain continuity of care during crises while promoting a resilient, coordinated, and evidence-based public health response system at local, national, and global levels.

Target Audience

• Public health officers and epidemiologists
• Emergency preparedness and response planners
• Health system managers and healthcare professionals
• Disease surveillance and outbreak investigation teams
• Disaster risk reduction and humanitarian coordinators
• Government officials in health and crisis management units
• NGO and UN agency personnel in health emergency programs
• Academics and researchers in global health security

Course Objectives

• Understand the principles of public health emergency preparedness
• Identify types of public health emergencies and their impacts
• Develop and implement comprehensive emergency preparedness plans
• Strengthen disease surveillance and early warning systems
• Coordinate multi-sectoral health emergency responses
• Apply public health incident management systems effectively
• Plan for health logistics, continuity of care, and surge capacity
• Implement risk communication and community engagement strategies
• Monitor, evaluate, and improve emergency preparedness programs
• Promote ethical decision-making and protection of vulnerable populations
• Build institutional resilience and cross-sector collaboration in health crises

Duration

5 Days

Course Outline

Module 1: Foundations of Public Health Emergency Preparedness

• Definitions, principles, and public health emergency types
• Global frameworks for health emergency management
• Core capacities under International Health Regulations (IHR)
• Preparedness cycle: prevention, readiness, response, recovery
• Risk profiling and public health hazard identification

Module 2: Emergency Planning and Health System Readiness

• Development of public health emergency operation plans
• Surge capacity and health service continuity planning
• Integration with disaster and emergency management systems
• Coordination between hospitals, primary care, and responders
• Simulation exercises and scenario-based planning

Module 3: Disease Surveillance and Early Warning Mechanisms

• Types of surveillance systems and outbreak detection tools
• Event-based and indicator-based surveillance techniques
• Real-time data reporting and visualization platforms
• Thresholds for alert and activation
• Community-based surveillance integration

Module 4: Incident Management and Health Emergency Operations

• Health Emergency Operations Centers (HEOCs) structure
• Roles and functions in a public health incident command system
• Activation protocols and emergency declarations
• Coordination of multi-agency response teams
• Documentation, reporting, and after-action reviews

Module 5: Risk Communication and Community Engagement

• Crisis communication strategies and message mapping
• Addressing rumors, misinformation, and public fear
• Engaging trusted community influencers and networks
• Multi-platform communication tools and feedback loops
• Ensuring inclusive and culturally appropriate messaging

Module 6: Health Logistics and Resource Coordination

• Medical supply chain and logistics in emergencies
• Stockpiling, distribution, and cold chain management
• Health workforce mobilization and deployment
• Mapping health resources and referral systems
• Emergency procurement and inventory tracking

Module 7: Building Resilience and Strengthening Systems

• Institutional capacity building and workforce training
• Public-private partnerships in health emergency preparedness
• Strengthening local health infrastructure and governance
• Embedding preparedness in development and health policies
• Learning from pandemics and public health crisis evaluations

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 10 working days before commencement of the training.