Epidemics Courses

What is an Epidemic?

An epidemic is an actively spreading disease. The term is often used for conditions that have grown out of control. Another familiar term, pandemic, describes a disease that has a global effect. Certain infectious diseases have been classified as epidemics, including most recently famous, ebola. Others quickly crossed from epidemic to pandemic, such as the coronavirus variant, Covid-19. Casual language often uses the terms interchangeably, but the distinction is essential. The influenza pandemic is a constant public health crisis, but other events like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) stopped sort of pandemic status. Epidemics are a concern when the number of cases of disease quickly overtake healthcare resources, causing outbreaks and strain on the resources as the infection spreads. The CDC is actively monitoring disease cases for signs of growing epidemics all the time to prevent these mass spreads.

Learn about Epidemics

EdX.org offers courses and certifications in areas of healthcare concerning disease, public health, and recent epidemics. You can take part in courses designed in partnership with leaders in the healthcare and research fields from your home and on your own schedule. You have the option to take part in courses without charge or take official credit for courses for a fee. You have access to a variety of course options - all delivered on your schedule.

Epidemic Courses and Certifications

HKUx offers a two-part series on epidemics, designed to introduce fundamental concepts in epidemics. You'll learn how certain diseases like Zika, the Ebola Virus, and the H1N1 pandemic arose and how specific institutions dealt with the outbreaks. You can take part in courses from Harvard as well. The series goes over two famous outbreaks, Ebola and Cholera, and what we can learn from the events leading up to it. Columbia also has a course on a famous pandemic, HIV/AIDS. MIT offers a course on global health informatics, a course that teaches the ways that informatics can be used to improve worldwide health outcomes.

Building Knowledge of Epidemics

Current events have seen the rise of many epidemics, from new measles outbreaks to typhoid fever and new diseases that threaten our immune systems. The 20th-century response to pandemic diseases and epidemics has been to follow recommendations from health officials. Countries are also developing pandemic preparedness to slow the spread of diseases. You can begin your journey into healthcare and beyond by learning more about epidemics and their impacts on people worldwide. It's essential to build an understanding of these diseases so that we can respond appropriately. Allow edX to provide a path for your learning.