Surveillance gaps analysis and impact of the late detection of the first Middle East respiratory syndrome case in South Batinah, Oman: a teaching case-study

Surveillance gaps analysis and impact of the late detection of the first Middle East respiratory syndrome case in South Batinah, Oman: a teaching case-study

Zayid Al-Mayahi^1,&, Khairy Anis¹, Nasser Al-Shaqsi¹, Azza Al-Hattali¹, Ali Al-Dhoyani¹, Mohamed Nageeb², Yousef Khader³

 

¹Directorate of Disease Surveillance and Control (South Batinah Governorate), Ministry of Health, Oman, ²Field Epidemiology Training Program, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ³Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan

 

 

^&Corresponding author
Zayid Al-Mayahi, Directorate of Disease Surveillance and Control (South Batinah Governorate), Ministry of Health, Oman

 

 

 

 

General instructions: this case study should be used as adjunct training material for novice epidemiology trainees to reinforce the concepts taught in prior lectures. The case study is ideally taught by a facilitator in groups of about 20 participants. Participants are to take turns reading the case study, usually a paragraph per student. The facilitator guides the discussion on possible responses to questions. The facilitator may make use of flip charts to illustrate certain points. Additional instructor’s notes for facilitation are coupled with each question in the instructor’s guide to aid facilitation.

 

Audience: this case study was developed for novice field epidemiology students. These participants are commonly health care workers working in the county departments of health whose background may be as medical doctors, nurses, environmental health officers or laboratory scientists who work in public health-related fields. Most have a health science or biology background.

 

Prerequisites: before using this case study, participants should have received lectures on disease surveillance and outbreak investigation.

 

Materials needed: Flash drive, flip charts, markers, computers with Microsoft Excel

 

Level of training and associated public health activity: Surveillance– First identified Middle East Respiratory case, South Batinah Governorate, Oman

 

Time required: 4-5 hours (2 sessions)

 

Language: English

 

 

• Download the case study student guide
• Request the case study facilitator guide

 

 

The authors declare no competing interests.

 

 

Authors would like to thank the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) for their technical support. Authors wish to acknowledge colleagues from Rustaq Hospital and Widam health center who were involved in the investigation of this case and public health officers in the disease surveillance and control in South Batinah Governorate.

 

 

1. Directorate General of planning & studies, Ministry of Health, Oman. Annual Health Report. 2016. Accessed on 20 December 2018.


2. Nowotny N, Kolodziejek J. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in dromedary camels, Oman, 2013. Euro Surveill. 2014 Apr 24;19(16):20781. PubMed | Google Scholar


3. WHO. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) summary and literature update, 2014. Accessed on 20 December 2018.