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Busan Metropolitan City, Office of Education, and Public Health Centers Foster a Safe School Environment Through School Infectious Disease Crisis Response Training!

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Park Heong-joon, announced that it will conduct the “2026 School Infectious Disease Crisis Response Training” today (June 5) at 2:00 p.m. in Lecture Room 1 of the Social Welfare Center for approximately 80 participants, including officials responsible for school health services at the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education and district education support offices, newly appointed school health teachers, and personnel from district and county public health centers.

The training has been organized to strengthen the infectious disease response capabilities of newly appointed and early-career school health teachers in preparation for infectious disease incidents in schools and the periodic circulation of respiratory infectious diseases, while also reinforcing cooperation among schools, educational administrative agencies, and public health centers.

Schools are group-living environments where students spend extended periods together. When an infectious disease occurs, there is a significant risk that it may spread beyond students to families and local communities, making continuous prevention and management efforts, along with a rapid crisis response system, essential.

In particular, respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza, chickenpox, and pertussis spread easily among school-age children and adolescents who frequently participate in indoor group activities, increasing the likelihood of cluster outbreaks. Therefore, when a suspected infectious disease situation arises, it is critically important for Busan Metropolitan City, public health centers, schools, and education authorities to clearly understand their respective roles and work closely together.

Rather than focusing solely on theoretical instruction or case sharing, the training program will be delivered as practical, field-oriented education that can be immediately applied in school settings.

Training topics include the school infectious disease crisis response system; procedures for responding to the occurrence, transmission, and epidemiological investigation of respiratory infectious diseases; application of simulated scenarios; crisis communication and management of parent complaints; and hands-on practice in the proper use of personal protective equipment.

In particular, the program will address the entire response process through realistic, school-based scenarios involving suspected respiratory infectious disease cases or cluster outbreaks. Topics will include initial detection, situation reporting, support for epidemiological investigations, implementation of disease control measures, communication with parents, and complaint management.

Participants will also receive hands-on training covering the types of personal protective equipment and precautions for proper donning and doffing procedures, thereby strengthening the fundamental protective competencies required in actual infectious disease response situations.

This training is especially meaningful because the city’s Infectious Disease Control Division, the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, and the Busan Infectious Disease Control Support Group jointly participated in planning and operating the program, using the opportunity to review cooperative mechanisms for school infectious disease response and improve crisis response systems.

By sharing the roles of relevant organizations in advance and improving understanding of information-sharing and decision-making processes during infectious disease incidents, the program is expected to minimize confusion that may arise during actual crises and enhance the capacity for rapid joint responses.

Through this training, Busan Metropolitan City plans to strengthen the foundation for coordinated cooperation among school health teachers, education authorities, public health centers, and the city’s infectious disease management departments when infectious disease incidents occur in schools, thereby creating a safe educational environment in which students and staff can feel secure.

Cho Gyu-yul, Director General of the Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “Schools are places where infectious diseases can spread rapidly and where anxiety among students, parents, and staff can quickly increase. Therefore, early response and interagency cooperation are more important than anything else.” He added, “I hope this training will promote information sharing and communication among school health teachers, education authorities, and public health center personnel, while also serving as an opportunity to strengthen infectious disease response capabilities that function effectively in actual school settings.”