Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals 2 and Veterinary Epidemiology

The general aims of the course of Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals II are to provide the student with the theoretical and practical tools for surveillance, diagnosis and control of infectious diseases.
In particular, the veterinary epidemiology module aims to provide the basic principles of epidemiology and its applications to veterinary medicine. Particular emphasis are given to topics related to sampling, epidemiological measures, evaluation of diagnostic tests and, finally, epidemiological studies.
In the Infectious Diseases module the course aims to provide in-depth knowledge on the most widespread infectious diseases in intensive cattle breeding, with particular regard to multi-factorial syndromes with high economic impact. The topics are treated covering particularly epidemiological, diagnostic and preventive aspects.
The Veterinary public Health module aims to provide knowledge on the role of the profession with respect to the protection of the health of the public in One-Health perspective. Topics related to epidemiological features of zoonotic diseases, Health Organizations, animal health law and emerging infectious diseases are

The learning outcomes expected from the course are identified as follows:

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the student must have acquired the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic tests, carry out simple epidemiological investigations and be able to manage an outbreak of infectious diseases or, at least, to control and possibly to eradicate the most important infectious diseases in cattle herds. He will also have to know the main zoonotic diseases presented in the course in order to play the proper role of veterinarian in the field of Public health. He will also need to know the structure of the National Health Service and the function of Bodies at European and international level.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
The student with the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired during the course must be able to formulate a suspicion of an infectious disease, and by the means of appropriate epidemiological assessments, identify the most efficient diagnostic procedures to confirm the diagnosis and suggests appropriate therapy, control and prevention.

Autonomy of judgment
At the end of the course the student must be able to identify the direct and indirect risk factors related to the onset of the infectious disease and to suggest the most appropriate interventions to contain or eliminate it.

Communication skills
Based on what has been learned from the course, the student must be able to explain what he has learned in a simple and clear way using correct and appropriate scientific terminology.