Knowledge transfer for Ebola outbreak production and use of OpenWHO.org online learning resources

WHO's Transfer of Knowledge (TOK) Team under the Infectious Hazard Management Department of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) aims to meet the evolving needs of frontline responders to the health emergencies of the 21st century. Epidemics increasingly occur in more complex, rapid and challenging contexts.

Frontline workers and decision-makers need the latest science and knowledge to fight disease outbreaks and other health emergencies. This knowledge must be in usable formats and delivered via suitable channels, accessible even in remote areas. If possible, WHO health technical expertise materials in infectious disease outbreaks are also produced in local languages, given that knowledge acquisition in one's mother tongue is crucial to containing epidemics in vulnerable settings.

The Transfer of Knowledge team of the WHE launched in June 2017 an online learning platform for disease outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics and health emergencies: OpenWHO.org. The aim of the platform is to ensure that frontline health responders have access to lifesaving knowledge anytime from anywhere during public health emergencies. The Transfer of Knowledge team together with infectious disease expert teams adapt and customize key technical information and package it into usable products easily accessible in the field.

This knowledge transfer involves various product types and includes materials targeted for health-care and community workers on the front line of the outbreak response. Materials include epidemiological knowledge and health interventions on infectious diseases like Ebola virus disease (Ebola), yellow fever, plague and cholera. These materials are also produced in the local languages most commonly used by local responders in the outbreak areas.

Most recently, a number of materials were targeted, adjusted and translated for the 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Key materials on Ebola, the production process and initial user analytics are presented in this article.