A mysterious virus suddenly occupied headlines of the most popular newspapers. It comes from Africa, it’s connected to bats and it’s deadly. That’s about as much as a regular reader knows. If you want to learn more about the virus, there is a course for you.
What theory will the course on Ebola include?
Ebola: Symptoms, History and Origins is an upcoming course on FutureLearn that will focus on the topic of Ebola in detail. It will talk about the origins of Ebola, from the first outbreak in 1976 to the most recent infections.
The course will teach you about the genetic structure of the virus based on its proteins, and about its evolution. The course will also tell you what could be done to stop the spread of the virus. It will show you how people work with it and what the algorithm of work with those who were infected is. Some captivating topics will be discussed at the lectures, for example:
- basic virology
- clinical aspects
- the experimental drugs and vaccines that have been tested
- clinical course of the disease
- protective measure on an individual level and precessions to isolate patients
- speculating on where the Ebola virus can go next
Will I do any practical work on the topic of Ebola virus?
You’ll be able to do your own analysis of the virus, using free software. You will also be able to take part in discussions with academics on the topics of epidemiology and anthropology. There will also be quizzes at the end of each week to test your knowledge of the offered material.
Does the course require any professional medical background?
The course is designed for anybody interested in the current outbreak of Ebola, although you might be interested in science or medicine, or be planning to join medical study at university.
I want to take Ebola Symptoms, History and Origins course, what do I do?
You need to go to the course page and register on the site to enroll in the course. The course lasts for two weeks. During this course you are expected to spend about 3 hours of your time per week on mastering the course material. This is a free course, so you don’t have to pay anything. At the end of the course there will be certificates available.