​With over 13,000 reported Ebola cases, the ongoing 2014 outbreak in West Africa is already the largest recorded.¹  Throughout the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has remained the vanguard, preparing health workers both domestically and in West Africa. Ensuring that health workers treating potential and verified cases receive quality, competency-based training is critical to stemming transmission of communicable diseases such as Ebola.

To meet the challenge of reaching the widest and most pertinent audience, CDC is utilizing its participation in the TRAIN network – CDC TRAIN – and the CDC Learning Connection. The TRAIN network connects state and federal agencies to train the health workforce across organizational boundaries through competency-based education. Reaching over 850,000 health workers, the TRAIN network is an ideal platform for disseminating training. In addition, with nearly 4,000 providers of training, the TRAIN network allows training from a variety of organizations to be accessed through a central location.

When CDC began offering the Safety Training Course for Healthcare Workers Going to West Africa in Response to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak, a method of vetting applicants was needed. Working together, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) and CDC found a solution through CDC TRAIN. By using CDC TRAIN, CDC is able to ask applicants specific questions as part of the registration process, allowing course facilitators to identify appropriate applicants in a timely and efficient manner. PHF and CDC are exploring further collaboration that would allow interested health workers to apply directly to specific course sessions and provide granular data to CDC.

Additionally, CDC has made available the following training materials on Ebola: 

• Guidance for Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) During Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals (TRAIN Course ID 1054088)
• What U.S. Hospitals Need to Know to Prepare for Ebola Virus Disease (TRAIN Course ID 1052628)
• Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever - Podcast 08/08/2014 (TRAIN Course ID 1052689)
• Fiebre hemorrágica del Ébola (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever) - Podcast 08/20/2014 (TRAIN Course ID 1052862) [TREN en Español]

Additional training on Ebola can be accessed by searching “Ebola” on TRAIN’s course search.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)." http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html. Accessed 10 November 2014.