When basic services such as water supply and wastewater removal and treatment are cut off during a humanitarian crisis, the risks to public health are significant. Health specialists and engineers in the fields of water, urban hygiene, energy, environment and other related areas therefore play a key role in tackling any humanitarian crisis. In this new, free online course you can learn how infectious diseases are transmitted and what measures can be taken to reduce health risks in the complex context of a humanitarian crisis.

This new MOOC is followed entirely online, and the time commitment required is between four and six hours a week. All students need to take the course is an internet connection. The course is delivered in English with French and Spanish subtitles. No prior knowledge of the subject is needed. Those wishing to take the option of receiving a certificate at the end pay a fee of 49 US dollars.

The course “Introduction to Public Health Engineering in Humanitarian Contexts” is an addition to the “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development” series developed by the Sandec department. The series was launched in 2014 and has proved extremely popular, with around 55,000 active participants. Over 50 percent of the course participants come from Asia, Africa and Latin America.