Continuing Education: An Interactive Update on Avian Influenza for Accredited Veterinarians

A free online course lasting approximately three hours, on the topic “Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Avian Influenza: A New Situation in 2015–2016,” begins tomorrow, May 4, 2016, and will be available for six weeks, 24 hours a day. This course is intended for all accredited veterinarians, but primarily for those who do not specialize in poultry health. The development of this Corporate Open Online Course (COOC), funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, was entrusted to the National School of Veterinary Services, with support from several partners*. Registration is open until June 6, 2016.   The goal of this interactive online course is to disseminate the latest knowledge and procedures regarding highly pathogenic avian influenza and to gather information from the field, best practices, and lessons learned from the field, thereby enabling the poultry industry to respond more effectively to the health risks the virus poses to flocks. This e-training consists of three modules, each lasting about one hour: a clinical review of the disease’s warning signs, an epidemiological review of the virus’s circulation, and a review of the prevention and eradication policy implemented by the ministry. Every two weeks, a new module will be posted online and will remain accessible until the end of the training in mid-June. Each module will feature videos, course slideshows, text documents, and a curated selection of links with commentary. In addition, thematic discussion forums related to the content of each module will allow participants to share their experiences or ask questions. Experts on highly pathogenic avian influenza will then answer these questions to contribute to a regularly updated summary of current knowledge. Full participation in the COOC (completion of all topics across the three modules, participation in the forum, etc.) will allow accredited veterinarians to earn six hours of continuing education credit toward the approximately twenty hours per year required by professional ethics standards.   * Directorate General for Food, National Society of Veterinary Technical Groups, Toulouse School of Veterinary Medicine (ENV), French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, and Animal Health Epidemiological Surveillance Platform.** Registration, by creating a personal account, is available at http://www.cooc-influenza.fr until June 6, 2016, at the latest. For more information, contact [email protected].  

Contents of the Three Modules

> Clinical Approach: Signs and Lesions of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (open May 4, 2016)

• the challenges of clinical surveillance;
• alarm signs and lesions;
• how to proceed in the event of a suspected case.

> Epidemiological Approach: Patterns of Disease Transmission and Epidemiological Surveillance (launched May 11, 2016)

• Descriptive epidemiology of influenza in France in late 2015;
• overview of influenza surveillance methods in France;
• Analytical epidemiology of influenza and the global context.

> Ministry of Agriculture policy on avian influenza control and prevention (posted May 19, 2016)

• clinical surveillance and the role of veterinarians;
• animal health control and measures to combat the epidemic;
• What is the prevention policy for avian influenza?