Field Epidemiology Training: Evaluation of Surveillance (WP3)
With the emergence of new zoonotic diseases, the capacities of surveillance systems to accurately characterise animal diseases are of public health importance. Timely and relevant evaluations of these systems are critical in order to improve their performance, their cost-effectiveness and to allow for more objective decision-making and acceptance by stakeholders.
The Field Epidemiology Training Workshops were held with the participation of both Chinese and European epidemiologists. The purpose of the initiative was to develop the capacity of selected Chinese FETPV trainers; considered as an important step in achieving sustainability and localization of the development of veterinary epidemiology in China. The activities were jointly supported by both LinkTADs and China’s FETPV program.
The training was held in Qingdao from 25-27 April 2016. Ten Chinese trainers of FETPV participated in the 3-day workshop. The training was delivered by Dr. Marisa Peyre and Dr. Flavie Goutard from CIRAD and facilitated by Tang Hao from FAO China.
The training provided a theoretical and practical application for evaluation of disease surveillance systems and introduced available tools to conduct qualitative and quantitative evaluation. In order to achieve better outcomes, the training was designed as two parts (in April and July). For each part, there were several lecturing sessions and networking/discussion sessions on selected topics. The training aimed to a) improve Chinese trainers’ capacity for teaching veterinary epidemiology; b) develop training curricula and materials in Chinese which are adapted to the Chinese context; and, c) enhance their technical competence on veterinary epidemiology. Experts and experienced researchers were invited to the training sessions and present specific research projects on the respective topics. Training presentations were developed by the invited experts and were used in the events.