The European Respiratory Society course on acute respiratory pandemics: how to plan for and manage them

Adeoti, Adekunle Olatayo; Marbus, Sierk

The first European Respiratory Society (ERS) course on acute respiratory pandemics was organised to train and improve participants' knowledge on how to plan for and manage pandemics [7] . Course members shared an interest in infection prevention and control but had different backgrounds, ranging from medical specialists to general practitioners, epidemiologists and researchers. 35 participants from three continents, namely Africa, Europe and Asia, were involved in the 3-day training programme held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from November 9 to 11, 2017 (figure 1). Seasoned faculty members were carefully selected based on their research work, skills and experience in the area of outbreak investigation, communications, planning and management of pandemics. Emphasis was laid on the practical workshops, which simulated pandemic scenarios with the aim of stimulating course participants to respond appropriately in cases of a pandemic. The aim of this course report is to give a short overview of some of the key lectures, highlights and take-home messages.