Viral Outbreaks and Pandemics : a One Health Approach
Ref. 96025
Understand why viral outbreaks and pandemics are becoming more frequent and how the world is learning to manage emerging infections in a one health approach.
- Duration: 9 weeks
- Effort: 34 hours
- Pace: ~3h45/week
- Languages: English and french
What you will learn
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the recent viral human pandemics originating from viruses harbored in animal reservoirs.
- Identify factors that facilitate the spillover of these viruses from animals to humans.
- Understand the molecular mechanisms that drive emergence and virulence of viruses.
- Discern factors related to environment, climatic changes and socio-cultural evolution that will continue to increase the risk of viral human pandemics.
- Anticipate preparedness for new pandemics.
Description
The number of viral outbreaks and pandemics has increased over the last half-century, including AIDS, Ebola, Zika and the main pandemics due to coronaviruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the challenges of alert and management, and the interplay between biology, human sciences and politics.
The MOOC explains how most viral outbreaks stem from zoonoses. The main reservoirs of emerging viruses are mammals and a few aquatic birds. Transmission can occur directly or through arthropods bites. Intermediate hosts may involve domestic animals that maintain the transmission cycle.
The spillover of viruses from wildlife to humans and the occurrence of pandemics are accelerated by viral mutations, and changes in life style and climate.
Surveillance of animal reservoirs, vectors and humans should allow for the detection of local outbreaks and the limitation of worldwide pandemics. Preparedness also encompasses resources to identify new pathogens, modeling of emergent infections, and the production of vaccines and treatments. A worldwide governance of such issues in a global health approach is mandatory to accelerate the response to pandemics.
Format
This MOOC is organized in 7 chapters. Each chapter is composed of 3 to 7 sessions. Each session is followed by two MCQs, allowing learners to test their understanding. At the end of each chapter, a set of MCQs is offered again. The videos are in English, with subtitles in English and French. The MCQs are in English and French.
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Prerequisites
This MOOC is intended for biology students, from the undergraduate to the graduate level, doctors, teachers, researchers, and more generally for all those interested in emergent infectious diseases. A good scientific level is recommended to follow this MOOC (Bachelor of Science).
Required Equipment
You will need a computer with a browser and sound, as well as a sufficient internet connection to follow the MOOC. The use of a camera is compulsory for the examination.
Assessment and certification
To follow this course, you can choose between two options:
- The Discovery Course gives access to videos, quizzes and discussions in the forum. No badge is issued for this course. Registration is free.
- The Qualifying Course leads to a certificate. In addition to the activities of the Discovery Course, you will have to take a one-hour supervised distance learning exam, consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and obtaining 18 correct answers. The registration fee for the Qualifying Course is 150€.
Successful completion of the Qualifying Course gives you the opportunity to apply for the Institut Pasteur Online Diploma of Infectious Diseases (DNM2IP), which consists of 5 certificates to Institut Pasteur MOOCs on infectious diseases. To learn more, visit the Institut Pasteur's web page dedicated to this diploma.
Accessibility
The videos in the MOOC are all subtitled, in both English and French. Their playback speed can be accelerated or slowed down to suit your needs.
The subtitles are also grouped together in a text format for each video: these are the transcripts, accessible under each video.
Finally, more and more MOOCs also include what we call the BOOC. This is a PDF document containing all the transcripts, to which images and diagrams have been added to aid understanding. The BOOC can be downloaded.
Course plan
- 1-1 What are emerging infectious diseases ?: Arnaud Fontanet. (iP)
1-2 Emerging and reemerging viruses: Antoine Gessain. (IP)
1-3 The one health approach of emerging infectious diseases: Stephan Zientara (ENVA)
- 2-1 Introduction : analyze the main wild-life reservoirs and the mode of transmissions, indirect or direct, of emerging viruses to humans: Sophie Le Poder (ENVA)
2-2 Apes and link to HIV, HTLV, Ebola: Antoine Gessain (IP)
2-3 Human-nonhuman primate contact as a driver of viral emergence: Tamara Giles-Vernick (IP)
2-4 Bats and link to Ebola, Nipah, Hendra and beta-coronaviruses: Meriadeg Le Gouil (Univ Caen)
2-5 Avian influenza viruses and link to flu pandemics: Jean-Claude Manuguerra. (IP)
2-6 Sylvatic cycles of arboviruses and link to urban transmission: Anne Lavergne. (IP Guyanne)
2-7 Changes in climate, deforestation, and natural disasters : Joacim Rocklöv (Univ Umea – Sweden)
- 3-1 The multiple molecular mechanisms that contribute to virus adaptability, virulence, and emergence: Esteban Domingo (Univ Madrid)
3-2 Newly identified viruses at interfaces between reservoirs/vectors/humans: Marc Eloit (IP)
3-3 Molecular determinants of emergence of influenza A viruses : Sylvie van de Werf (UPC)
3-4 Molecular determinants of emergence of human beta-coronaviruses: Sylvie van der Werf (UPC)
3-5 Molecular determinants of adaptation of arboviruses to new Aedes vectors: Anna-Bella Failloux (IP)
- 4-1 Increased movement of people, animals, and goods: François Gary & Chloé Le Gall-Ladevèze (Phylum, Colomiers)
4-2 Influence of urban dynamics: Pascal Handschumarer (Univ Strasbourg)
4-3 Expansion of Aedes aegypti and albopictus: Anna-Bella Failloux (IP)
4-4 Role of infections and transfusion in viral epidemics spread: Arnaud Fontanet (IP)
- 5-1 AIDS : Yazdan Yazdanpanah (UPC-ANRS)
5-2 Influenza : Sylvie van der Werf (UPC)
5-3 Ebola : Denis Malvy (Univ Bordeaux)
5-4 Zika : Arnaud Fontanet (IP)
5-5 SARS, MERS & COVID-19 : Arnaud Fontanet (IP)
5-6 Monkeypox : Antoine Gessain (IP)
- 6-1 Global surveillance – animals: Chadia Wannous (WOAH)
6-2 Global surveillance- humans – IHR – GOARN: Sylvie Briand – WHO)
6-3 Global surveillance - vectors: Norbert Becker (Univ Heidelberg)
6-4 Early intervention – CIBU: Jean-Claude Manuguerra (IP)
6-5 Modeling of early epidemic dynamics: Simon Cauchemez (IP)
6-6 Pathogen discovery tools: Nolwenn DHEILLY (IP)
6-7 Developing new vaccines against emerging viruses – CEPI: Brigitte Autran (SU-COVARS)
6-8 Anticipating social behaviours during pandemics: Anna Friedler (EHESP)
6-9 From Science to Politics: Didier Houssin (OMS-APHP International)
Course team
Pierre-Emmanuel Ceccaldi
Categories
Director of the MOOC, Pierre-Emmanuel Ceccaldi is Professor at Université Paris Cité and Team Leader in the Epidemiology and Pathophysiology of Oncogenic Viruses Unit, Institut Pasteur. He is the co-director of the Fundamental Virology course at the Institut Pasteur. His work is focused on the interactions of different viruses with host barriers (blood-brain barrier, intestinal barrier…), and neuromuscular system.
Arnaud Fontanet
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Director of the MOOC, Arnaud Fontanet is Director of the Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit at the Institut Pasteur and Professor of Health and Development at the CNAM. He has a doctorate in medicine (Université Paris V) and in public health (Harvard University).
Jean-Pierre Vartanian
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Director of the MOOC, Jean-Pierre Vartanian is Associate Professor at Institut Pasteur in the Virology Department. He is the co-director of the Fundamental Virology course at the Institut Pasteur. His work is focused on identifying restriction factors involved in viral replication and the role of cellular RNA/DNA editing enzymes with antiviral activity against a range of human pathogens.
Stephan Zientara
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Director of the MOOC, Stéphan Zientara was awarded a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1987 and a university doctorate in 1995, obtaining his HDR in 2001. Stéphan Zientara is Director of the Anses Animal Health Laboratory in Maisons-Alfort (France), Director of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases and Deputy Director of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease.
Laurie Pinaud
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Laurie Pinaud, MOOC community manager, holds a PhD in microbiology and an MPH in epidemiology and public health. Since 2020, she has been a clinical research project manager at the Pasteur Institute, coordinating studies related to COVID-19 and mpox. She also participates in the Pasteur Institute's pandemic preparedness activities.
Organizations
License
License for the course content
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
License for the content created by course participants
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.