After unprecedented rainfall devastates a coastal region, entire communities are submerged, critical infrastructure has failed, and over 170,000 people are displaced across overcrowded shelters and remote rural areas. Clean water is scarce, sanitation systems have collapsed, and the risk of disease outbreaks is rising quickly. As part of a Ministry of Health rapid assessment team, you are deployed to evaluate the situation on the ground and determine what matters most when resources are limited and needs are overwhelming.
In this interactive case, you will navigate complex, real-world challenges faced in disaster settings, from identifying urgent public health threats to prioritizing interventions that can save lives. You will analyze evolving conditions, apply surveillance thinking, and make decisions that balance immediate response with longer-term population health needs. This experience is designed to mirror the uncertainty, urgency, and impact of working in disaster response.
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What You Will Learn
By engaging with this interactive case you will:
- Identify and prioritize the most critical health risks and needs of populations affected by large-scale disasters
- Apply core public health assessment and surveillance principles in complex, resource-constrained environments
- Determine and justify high-impact intervention strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in displaced populations
This interactive case scenario is part of Module 2 of a 10 module course that offers a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of essential clinical topics in pediatric global health, with a particular emphasis on the unique challenges posed by natural and human-caused disasters.
Participants will engage with a broad range of critical subjects, including pediatric trauma care, disaster triage protocols, the epidemiology and management of infectious diseases in crisis settings, evidence-based approaches to diarrhea and dehydration treatment, toxicological emergencies, and other life-threatening conditions affecting children in humanitarian and disaster-response contexts.
Through a combination of expert-led instruction, case-based discussions, and scenario-based learning, this course equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to optimize pediatric care in emergency situations worldwide.
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Created by the
Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health
This course is owned by the Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health, and has been jointly created by the Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health and the Maternal and Child Health Department of Maimonides University; both of which are WHO Collaborating Centers in Maternal and Child Health. The course materials were developed with input from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Association for Health Research & Development (ACINDES).
with Support from the
Pediatric Pandemic Network
pedspandemicnetwork.org
The Pediatric Pandemic Network is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of cooperative agreements U1IMC43532 and U1IMC45814 with 0 percent financed with nongovernmental sources. The content presented here is that of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, visit HRSA.gov.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND
You are free to download and share this work for noncommercial purposes, as long as you credit the Center for Global Health and the Pediatric Pandemic Network for the original creation.
