One Health Outbreak Investigations and Spillover Events

Emerging infectious diseases often cross the boundaries between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Understanding how these pathogens spill over and spread requires looking beyond human medicine to the interconnected health of our entire ecosystem. This text-only course guides you through the foundational principles of One Health outbreak investigations, teaching you how to analyze environmental factors, trace spillover pathways, and design multi-disciplinary response strategies. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of One Health and how human, animal, and environmental factors interact during a disease outbreak. - Analyze the biological and ecological drivers of zoonotic spillover events from wildlife to domestic populations. - Apply systematic steps to investigate active outbreaks using multi-sectoral data and modern digital surveillance tools. - Evaluate the role of climate change, habitat disruption, and vector dynamics in emerging infectious diseases. - Design collaborative intervention plans to control active transmission and prevent future spillover events. The course begins with essential terminology and the historical context of zoonotic diseases, establishing a solid baseline of knowledge. You will then progress through practical frameworks for field investigations, data integration, and collaborative response planning through written scenarios and case analyses. This course is designed for beginners in public health, veterinary science, environmental studies, or global health who want to build a strong foundation in outbreak response with no prior field experience required. Read through our comprehensive guides and scenario-based exercises to master the fundamentals of One Health investigation.