Outbreaks of VL

The importance of data collection and surveillance becomes even more pronounced in the context of an outbreak. A large outbreak can have a rapid impact, threatening the lives of many and becoming hard to control. How to identify an outbreak and recognise how to respond?

In this step, we will cover the principles of outbreaks and recent examples of unexplained outbreaks. In Step 4.8, we will look into outbreak management in practice, through an interview with Dr Koert Ritmeijer, Lead Neglected Tropical Diseases/Research Technical Support for Médecins Sans Frontières.

Learning objectives:

• Define an outbreak and an epidemic
• Describe what an epidemiological wave pattern of VL is
• Understand contextual differences – geography, risk factors