A second national training course on outbreak management, organized by the Ministry of Health of Oman, was held from 7 to 11 January 2012. The course was developed in close collaboration with WHO. It aims to build capacity within the country for sustainable outbreak management. It focuses on practical aspects of outbreak detection, investigation and control. Its development was based on the epidemiological situation in Oman and national surveillance guidelines. The course is competency-based and designed to improve the practical skills of multidisciplinary and multisectoral teams at local, regional and national levels.