Bird Flu Lesson Plans

[Sally Furniss]

For the Birds :Understanding the History of Twentieth Century Pandemic Flu Outbreaks

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20060328tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons

Author(s)
Marcella Runell, The New York Times Learning Network
Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Current Events, Global History, Health, Science
Interdisciplinary Connections

Overview of Lesson Plan:
In this lesson students will examine the different types of pandemic flu viruses and virus ?scares? that have occurred over the past hundred years by creating a master chart that displays the origins, transmission, symptoms, and socio-historical impact of each virus.

Suggested Time Allowance:One hour

Objectives:

Students will:
1. Understand the nature of bird flu and the factual information available about the history of bird flu.
2. Learn about the 1918 flu pandemic and its impact on current scientific understanding of bird flu, by reading and discussing, ?The 1918 Flu Killed Millions. Does It Hold Clues for Today??
3. In groups, research and contribute to a master chart that explains the characteristics of each of the six major flu pandemics and/or flu pandemic ?scares? in the twentieth century.
4. Individually, create a fictional, historically accurate testimony of a person living through one of the six major flu pandemics or pandemic ?scares.?

Resources / Materials:
-student journals
-pens/pencils
-classroom board
-copies of ?The 1918 Flu Killed Millions. Does It Hold Clues for Today?? (one per student) found on line at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teac...28tuesday.html.
-resources on flu pandemics, including textbooks, encyclopedic sources, and computers with Internet access
-poster-making materials including large poster board, markers, scissors, tape, glue, construction paper

Activities / Procedures:
1.WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Upon entering class, students will be asked to respond to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class):
?This is a ?pop-quiz? to test your knowledge about avian flu. All statements are either true or false. (Note to teachers: correct answers are given next to each statement listed below.)
Avian flu (also known as bird flu) kills birds. (true)
Humans have become infected by bird flu. (true)
The current situation with the bird flu (A H5N1) virus is the first time that a bird flu has infected humans. (false)
Bird flu infected hundreds of people in 1997. (true)
Ten people have died from bird flu in the United States so far. (false)
This virus is different than many because it previously moved directly from turkeys to people. (false)
Many of the most serious cases of bird flu occurred in young adults. (true)
To prevent the spread of the virus, 1.5 million chickens were slaughtered in Hong Kong in 1999. (true)?

After completing the quiz students should be given a definition of the word ?pandemic.? Pandemic is defined (http://www.webster.com) as ?occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.?

2. As a class, read and discuss the article ?The 1918 Flu Killed Millions. Does It Hold Clues for Today?? (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teac...tuesday.html.), focusing on the following questions:
a. What was the epidemic of 1918?
b. Why was it different from other flu strains?
c. How many people has the current bird flu reportedly killed?
d. Why are scientists interested in looking at the 1918 flu pandemic?
e. What does the 1918 pandemic reveal about today?s bird flu?
f. What are the specific similarities mentioned in the article between the current Avian flu (bird flu) and the 1918 pandemic?
g. What are the differences?
h. What happened in the fall of 1918?
i. What happened in the Alaskan village of Wales in 1918?
j. What did the city of Philadelphia do to ward off the spread of the virus?
k. Who is Dr. Victor Vaughan? What did he write about the flu?
l. What is the mystery that scientists are still left with about the 1918 flu?
m. What do scientists know about the 1918 flu virus?
n. Who is Jeffrey Taubenberger? What did he do?
o. What are Dr. Taubenberger and Dr. Oxford attempting to find out?
p. What is the 1918 flu virus teaching researchers?
q. Who is Terrence Tumpey and what does he say about flu vaccines?
r. What ?puzzle? are scientists left with?

3. Explain to students that they will be divided into six small research groups. They are charged with the task of becoming experts on one of the three official flu pandemics of the twentieth century, or one of the three additional pandemic flu "scares.?

1918: Spanish Flu
1957: Asian Flu
1968: Hong Kong Flu
1976: Swine Flu Scare
1977: Russian Flu Scare
1997: Bird Flu Scare (Avian Flu)

After students have been assigned a flu pandemic or flu pandemic ?scare? to research, they will be given the following research questions (should be written as a handout or copied on board prior to class):
-What is the name of your flu? What is the name of the virus that causes it?
-When was it identified?
-How did this flu virus get its name?
-Where and how did it originate? How did it become a human virus as opposed to a virus affecting animals?
-How many people became infected with it?
-What were the symptoms?
-What treatments were available?
-How many people died from it?
-What were some of the unusual aspects associated with this flu?
-Which populations of people had the highest infection rates?
-What is the status of this flu virus now?
-Was there knowledge of the virus before it transferred to humans?

Students will then condense their information to create their portion of a master chart, which will document twelve category areas based on the research questions. The master chart should list the name of each flu pandemic or flu pandemic ?scare? and should offer an effective means of comparing the different answers to the research questions. The format should make the chart easy to understand so that the class can learn the differences and similarities between each of the pandemics flu or flu ?scares.?

The master chart is similar to a matrix. Each of the six pandemic groups should have its own column and then a row next to it for each of the twelve questions. Each group will fill in its own column to complete the master chart.

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: After the master chart is completed, students should be asked to reflect on the process. What similarities and/or differences did the students note after seeing the finished product? Were there any ?lessons learned? from this project that might offer some means of preparation for the current bird flu pandemics?

For homework, based on their research, students should write a historical-fiction journal entry from the perspective of a person living through the ?scare? or epidemic that they researched. Students should use data collected in their research to make the circumstances and account as realistic and detailed as possible.

Further Questions for Discussion:
-Should scientists spend time studying past flu epidemics or pandemics? Why or why not?
-What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?
-What predictions do you have about the spread of bird flu?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated on their initial participation during the ?pop quiz,? thoughtful participation in class discussions, cooperation in research groups, and creativity and accuracy in historical fictional journal accounts of ?living through? a pandemic.

Vocabulary:
epidemic, infectious, predominantly, domestic, ominously, pandemic, devastate, unfamiliar, unprecedented, improbable, isolated, exhorted, influenza, horrific, memoirs, summoned, distressing, sputum, inferiority, abiding, molecular, pathology, snippets, benign, mutated, resurrect, strains, toehold, impervious, inured, gastrointestinal, precursor, pandemic, precedent

Extension Activities:
1. Using the first line of the article, "It was the worst infectious disease epidemic ever, killing more Americans in just a few months than died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Wars combined," choose a different pandemic (it could be of any kind) and create a metaphor illustrating the number of people it killed and the scope of its impact in order to make the situation more relatable for the general public to grasp.

2. Find memoirs, diaries, or other first-hand accounts of the flu pandemic or scare that you researched as a group. Choose two to read and compare and contrast the stories with the version that you completed as your homework assignment.

3. How do scientists name viruses? How do they make a distinction between a scientific name and a common name? Conduct research on at least three different viruses and write a report on the naming process of each one.

4. Research and write a biography about a doctor and/or scientist who has made a significant impact on our understanding of viruses.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Geography - A text timeline of both animal and human developments in the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus is available at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian...line_15.02.pdf. Use this information to create a thematic map or an illustrated timeline.

Fine Arts - Design a flipbook that shows the movement of a pandemic. Each page is a map of the world with the infected area in different colors showing the movement of the virus over a period of time.

Mathematics - Statistics on the leading causes of death by state from 1999 to 2002 are available online at the Center for Disease Control Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/stata.../lcwk9_10.htm). You can look for influenza statistics and graph the information by state as compared to the national average. You should compare the overall number of deaths due to influenza to the percentage of all deaths due to influenza to the percentage of total population that died due to influenza.

Teaching with The Times - Over the course of the next month, read all articles that are reporting on bird flu, and create a report on how bird flu is reported about in the media. What words (adjectives, adverbs) are used to describe bird flu? Is there an urgency in the reporting of it? What role is the media playing in disseminating information about bird flu? Is it accurate based on your research? Write an opinion piece to share with your class. To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here.

Other Information on the Web
The Center for Disease Control has a Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/) that gives helpful information on worldwide preparedness for flu related pandemics.

PBS has done many programs about pandemics and has updated information about bird flu on their Web site (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurviva...pandemic.html), which may also assist with this lesson.

Academic Content Standards:
McRELThis lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

Grades 6-8 Science Standard 6- Knows the general structure and functions of cells in organisms. Benchmark: Knows that disease in organisms can be caused by intrinsic failures of the system or infection by other organisms. Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that the work of science requires a variety of human abilities, qualities, and habits of mind; Knows various settings in which scientists and engineers may work; Knows ways in which science and society influence one another. Health Standard 2- Knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health. Benchmarks: Understands how various messages from the media, technology, and other sources impact health practices; Knows local, state, federal, and international efforts to contain an environmental crisis and prevent a recurrence. Health Standard 8- Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease. Benchmark: Knows communicable, chronic, and degenerative disease processes and the differences between them. Language Arts Standard 7- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Benchmarks: Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts; Identifies information-organizing strategies that are personally most useful; Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base; Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts. Grades 9-12 Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that science and technology are essential social enterprises, but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen; Understands that science involves different types of work in many different disciplines; Knows that creativity, imagination, and a good knowledge base are all required in the work of science and engineering. Health Standard 2- Knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health. Benchmarks: Knows how the health of individuals can be influenced by the community; Understands how the environment influences the health of the community; Understands how the prevention and control of health problems are influenced by research and medical advances; Knows how public health policies and government regulations impact health-related issues. Health Standard 8- Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease. Benchmark: Understands how the immune system functions to prevent or combat disease. Language Arts Standard 7- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts; Uses new information from texts to clarify or refine understanding of academic concepts; Determines the effectiveness of techniques used to convey viewpoint; Uses discussions with peers as a way of understanding information.

[Sally Furniss]

Maybe Not-So-Fine Feathered Friends?

Maybe Not-So-Fine Feathered Friends?
National Geographic

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g912/newsflu.html

Overview:
This lesson considers the spread of disease from animals to humans. Students will read a National Geographic News article that discusses one such incident, and then explore the frequency, occurrence, and possible prevention of such crossover illnesses.

Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, current events, biology
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on the Earth's surface"
Standard 9: "The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human population on Earth's surface"
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"

Time:
Two to three hours

Materials Required:

* Computer with Internet access
* Paper
* Pens

Objectives:
Students will

* locate a news story on ducks and the flu at the National Geographic News site;
* search the Internet for other stories about animal-to-human transmission of illness;
* identify ways in which diseases can be transmitted, and whether there are ways human behavior can influence this cross-over;
* assess the impact of the information on the relationship between humans and animals; and
* describe the impact on the human societies where such transfer has taken place.

Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information

S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Explain to students that this lesson is designed to help them develop investigational skills. Ask them first to read the National Geographic News story, "Superflu" a Threat as Ducks Emerge as Stealth Carriers about the transmission of illness from animals to humans. Ask them to consider how they would find more information about this topic.
Development:
Working in small groups, have students conduct Internet searches to find information about incidences of animal-to-human infection, beginning with the National Geographic News site. In addition to articles found there, students may also use some of the articles below, but they should be expected to find others by conducting their own research:

Brigham Young University: The Black Death?Bubonic Plague

http://www.themiddleages.net/plague.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: All About Hantaviruses

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/

Organic Consumers Organization: Mad Cow Disease?Mad Deer Disease

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

State of Michigan: Animal/Human Diseases?West Nile Virus and Rabies

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18897-67500--,00.html

Have students make a list of the different ways that diseases can "cross over" from animals to humans. See if they can determine if any human behavior has increased the risk of contagion from animals. If so, ask them to consider how this risk might be minimized.

Closing:
Have students work individually or in small groups to select one illness that has been transmitted from animals to humans and research it further. In what countries have incidents occurred? What have affected countries done to lessen the impact? What have other countries done to prevent the spread of the illness? What has the social and/or economic burden been on countries where a large-scale spread of animal-to-human illness has occurred?

Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students make brief oral presentations to one another, and then lead the class in a short discussion to summarize the main concepts presented.

Extending the Lesson:
Have students see if they can find incidents of human-to-animal infection.

Related Links:
Brigham Young University: The Black Death?Bubonic Plague

http://www.themiddleages.net/plague.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/

National Geographic News: "Superflu" a Threat as Ducks Emerge as Stealth Carriers

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1108_041108_avian_flu.html

Organic Consumers Organization: Mad Cow Disease?Mad Deer Disease

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

The State of Michigan: Animal/Human Disease?West Nile Virus and Rabies

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18897-67500--,00.html

World Health Organization

[Sally Furniss]

Secrets of the Dead

Secrets of the Dead

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/lessons/lp_virus.html

Grades 9-12,

Lesson Objectives

1. Learn about the history of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
2. Describe a virus and how it infects its host.
3. Simulate the creation of a DNA fingerprint via a Flash animation.
4. Analyze 'bar-code' DNA fingerprints to identify a virus.

[Sally Furniss]

Bird Flu: The Next Pandemic?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra

LESSON PLAN: BIRD FLU: THE NEXT PANDEMIC?

Bird Flu Project Guidelines
You have spent time learning about what a virus is, how it is spread, and how
vaccines are developed for preventing viral illnesses. In addition, you have studied
information specifically related to bird flu, caused by the H5-N1 virus.
Choose a project from the list below. Using what you have learned in class along
with the online resources listed below and other research you conduct, create a
project that demonstrates what you have learned about the science surrounding the
H5-N1 virus and the potential for a bird flu pandemic. Your project should be high
quality and based on research and facts. You should be able to clearly explain your
project to classmates when they are shared in class.

Project Choices
1. Create a map that shows the regions of the world where bird flu cases have
been documented. On this map, indicate when the bird flu first appeared, how
many people were affected, and what the mortality rate was from the disease.
You should also include information about what was done to halt the spread of the
disease in each region/country. Your map should include a title, clear labels, and a
legend. It should be done in color and easily read.

2. Create a diagram or flow chart that documents the procedures that will need to
be followed as scientists work to develop a vaccine for bird flu. Outline the major
steps in the process and describe what happens during each step. Include a picture
or graphic of some sort to illustrate what goes on during each step of the vaccine
development process.

3. Create a model, flow chart, or diagram that explains the mutation process
viruses go through as they change over time. Explain each step of the process and
what happens as a virus goes from being transferable from animals to humans to
being transferable from human to human.

4. Create a diagram or model of a virus and explain how it uses the living host to
sustain itself and reproduce and how this causes the living host to become ill.

5. Create an informational display, pamphlet, or poster that could be used to
educate people worldwide about bird flu. Include signs and symptoms of the
disease, ways the disease is spread, activities to avoid if you don?t want to risk
infection, and preventive measures people can take to keep from getting the
disease.

6. Conduct research about what governments on a world, national, state, and local
level are doing to prepare for a bird flu outbreak. Using these as a guide, create an
action plan that could be used by your school in the event of a bird flu epidemic.

7. Create a project of your own choice related to bird flu, viral diseases,
vaccinations, or other relevant topics. Write your project idea below and get it
approved by the teacher before you begin.

Online Resources
Online NewsHour Articles
?Assessing the Bird Flu Crisis?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec05/flu_10-20.html

?Bird Flu?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june05/flu_5-26.html

?Fatal Flu?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june05/flu_4-7.html

?Bird Flu Outbreak?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june04/birdflu_1-27.html

?The Avian Flu Pandemic?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec05/flu_10-5.html

NewsHour Extra
?Health Officials Prepare for Bird Flu Pandemic?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/birdflu_10-12.html

Washington Week
?Bird Flu Drug Ineffective?

http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200510/1017world0.htm

Secrets of the Dead
?Killer Flu?

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_killerflu/clues.html

The Children?s Hospital of Philadelphia
?How Are Vaccines Made??

http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=75749

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
?Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)?

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm

World Health Organization
?Avian Influenza Frequently Asked Questions?

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/index.html

[Sally Furniss]

Creating Public Service Campaigns to Convey Information About Avian Flu.

Nothing to Sneeze At
Creating Public Service Campaigns to Convey Information About Avian Flu.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20051108tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons

Author(s)
Jennifer Rittner, The New York Times Learning Network
Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Current Events, Health, Media Studies, Science
Interdisciplinary Connections

Overview of Lesson Plan:
In this two-day lesson, students research and create public service campaigns to inform different populations in their community about avian flu, a current global health concern.

Suggested Time Allowance: Two one-hour class periods

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Share ideas about preventing the contraction and spread of the flu.
2. Learn about the current avian flu crisis by reading and discussing the article "Hitting the Flu at Its Source, Before It Hits Us."
3. Work in small groups to research different aspects of avian flu; participate in a jigsaw cooperative learning exercise to share their research findings with their classmates.
4. Consider how they might develop public service campaigns designed to inform targeted segments of the population how to prevent themselves from contracting and spreading avian flu.
5. Write letters to local public health officials with recommendations for getting critical information about avian flu to the broadest number of people in your community.

Resources / Materials:
-large pieces of poster board or chart paper (one per small group)
-thick markers (one per small group)
-classroom board
-pens/pencils
-paper
-copies of the article "Hitting the Flu at Its Source, Before It Hits Us," found online at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teac...icles/20051108 tuesday.html (one per student)
-resources with information on influenza and avian flu (computers with Internet access, library references, health texts, periodicals)

Activities / Procedures:

DAY ONE
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before class, create a chart on the board titled "Avoiding the Flu" with two columns, one labeled "Protecting Myself" and the other labeled "Protecting Others." Group desks into small groups of three or four, and place a piece of poster board or chart paper and a thick marker on each grouping of desks. On the board, write the following prompt for students to respond to upon entering class: "Copy the chart on the board onto the piece of poster board on your desk. Then, discuss as a group what preventive measures someone can take to avoid getting the flu, and what steps someone with the flu can take to avoid spreading it to others. Fill out your chart with your ideas." After a few minutes, ask a representative from each group to report the results to the class, and write responses on the chart on the board. Then, discuss the following questions as a class: Why is containing the flu an important health concern every winter? What do students know about avian flu? Why is it such a concern around the world?

2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Hitting the Flu at Its Source, Before It Hits Us" (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teac...icles/20051108 tuesday.html, focusing on the following questions:

a. What suggestion did President Bush make in October 2005?

b. Why was it met with skepticism?

c. Why do public health officials now agree that it is past time to act?

d. What is the "delicate balancing act" to which Dr. Andrew T. Pavia refers,
and why?

e. How did news reports create confusion in 1976?

f. What specific episode made health officials more cautious about declaring an epidemic?

g. What will be the so-called trigger moment in declaring an avian flu pandemic?

h. What steps does Dr. David Nabarro suggest need to take place before the world is ready to deal with a possible pandemic?

i. Why have some experts expressed dismay over President Bush's plan, and what do they suggest instead?

j. Why are some farmers in China and Vietnam reluctant to inform the government when they have sick chickens, and how has this affected the spread of the virus?

k. What measures have been suggested by the World Organization for Animal Health?

l. Why are the proposals controversial?

m. What conflicting responses did Dr. Karesh and Dr. Nabarro express concerning Mr. Bush's proposal?

3. Explain to the class that over the next few days, they will be working in groups to research and prepare public service campaigns for different segments of the population to inform them about the dangers of avian flu and how they can best avoid contracting the illness. To begin, divide the class into five groups and assign each group a research topic and guiding questions (provided on a handout for easier student access). Students should use all available resources to best answer their questions and should take careful notes, including collecting and/or creating visuals (photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, diagrams, etc.) that provide or help to clarify information.

ORIGINS OF AVIAN FLU
-What animals can carry avian flu? How do they contract the disease?
-Where in the world has this illness originated?
-Where have confirmed cases of avian flu taken place in 2005?
-How is the disease contracted by humans?

THE ILLNESS
-What is the incubation period for the disease?
-What are the early warnings signs of the illness?
-What are the symptoms of the illness?
-What other illness have the same or similar symptoms? How are the illness similar and/or different?
-What are the risks involved with contracting the illness?

PREVENTION
-Who should be concerned about avian flu? What specific segments of the population are particularly at risk?
-What preventive measures currently exist to stop the spread of avian flu?
-What are the pros and cons of the prevention methods?

TREATMENT
-What treatments currently exist for those who have contracted avian flu, and how do they work?
-What are the pros and cons of the treatments?
-What are the methods of distributing the treatments, and how effective are they?
-What are the challenges of getting the treatments to the population that need them?
-How can people with avian flu avoid spreading it to others?

GLOBAL MEASURES
-What have different countries, including the United States, done to fight avian flu in 2005?
-Why have some countries resisted measures to fight the disease?

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Once all groups have completed their research, reorganize the groups into five new groups, each comprised of one member of each of the five research groups. After school or in a future class, each student in each new group should share his or her research information, and all students should take thorough notes. Remind students to bring their notes with them to the next class.

DAY TWO

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before class, arrange desks into five groups, to be populated by the five groups formed at the end of the previous day. On each set of desks, place a piece of paper with one of the following populations written on it: Children Under 5, School-Age Children (5-18), Adults, Seniors (65+), and Adults with Respiratory Illnesses. Upon entering class, each group should discuss the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): "Today you will be creating a public service campaign about avian flu prevention geared toward the population of citizens written on the piece of paper on your desk. Think about how you can reach this target audience. Will you need to address them directly, or will you need to get to them by approaching others, such as caregivers? What forms of media would be most effective in getting information to this group?" After a few minutes, ask groups to share their responses. You might want to discuss a broad number of media types, such as print ads for periodicals, billboards, posters, radio, television, Web sites, e-mails, and podcasts.

2. Explain to students that during this class period they will work in their groups to develop their campaigns. While they may have gathered a great deal of information in their research, they will be challenged to distill it succinctly for public consumption and gear it to their assigned populations. Their campaigns should inform but not alarm the public and be easy to understand and appropriate for their segments of the population. (For example, the information about infants and babies should be addressed to adults, while the information for children might include a campaign both for adults and for children). Depending on the size of the groups, students may also be encouraged to create their campaigns for a variety of media, as appropriate.

To help them develop their campaigns, provide the following questions for discussion (written on the board or in a handout for easier student access):
-What segment of the population is your focus in terms of the avian flu prevention information? (This is the population written on the piece of paper on your desk.)
-Is there another group or groups whom you should educate about how to protect your assigned population? If so, what are those groups?
-What media will be reach this group, and why?
-What specific information will you need to provide to this group?
-How and where will you disseminate this information?
-What theme, slogan or other technique can you use to help teach about avian flu prevention for this population?
-What visual aids (such as photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, diagrams, etc.) can you use to help clarify information and/or call attention to your campaign?

At the end of class, each group should present their campaign ideas to the class. How did they decide what and how much information to provide? What decisions did they make about the tone of their campaign? Why did they choose the particular media for this audience? How effective do they think their classmates' campaigns would be?

3. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Students respond to the following prompt, written on the board for students to copy or distributed in a handout for easier student access: "Consider all that you have learned over the past few days, and write a letter to your local health board to recommend measures that they should take to inform your community about avian flu. Include recommendations for reaching specific segments of the population and methods for conveying this information to the broadest population possible. You might consider how the health board might reach people in nursing home or jails, indigent or homeless people, families without television or Internet access, speakers of foreign languages, etc." In a later class, compile all of the letters and the campaigns to send to your local health board.

Further Questions for Discussion:
-What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?
-How does a disease that originates in one part of the world spread across the globe?
-How might globalization affect the degree to which diseases are able to spread throughout the world?
-To what degree, if at all, do public health crises in other parts of the world affect you and your community?
-To what degree, if at all, do public health crises in other parts of the world affect your desire to travel and/or affect your desire to travel to those regions?
-To what degree, if at all, do public health crises in other parts of the world influence your feelings about the regions in which those issues are prevalent?
-What responsibility, if any, do you think "wealthy" nations should have in aiding poorer regions affected by public health crises?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on group and class discussions and activities, thorough research and presentation of avian flu topics, thoughtful group-developed public service campaigns, and final letters synthesizing their learning.

Vocabulary:
skepticism, strain, avian, enforce, quarantines, cynics, inoculation, unleashed, institute, elaborate, culled, pandemic, imminent, infectious, hemophiliacs, coronavirus, swine, vaccinate, trigger, emergence, alarmist, stockpiles, simulation, dismay, ventilators, veterinarians, controversial, envisioned, compensating

Extension Activities:
1. How can a disease that begins in animals spread to humans? Research a disease (such as avian flu, foot-and-mouth disease or bubonic plague) that can spread from animals to humans. In what animal(s) does this disease originate? How does this disease spread to humans? How does the disease differ in how it affects each species? What treatments are available? What historic outbreaks of this disease are documented, and what were their large-reaching effects (such as economic and political impact)? Does the disease still exist, and if so, where? Does it currently affect a human population? Can it still be contracted through animals? If so, what measures have been taken to contain the spread? Write an illustrated report or newspaper article containing your findings.

2. Imagine a scenario in which one person in your school contracts the flu and it spreads, with varying results, throughout your community. What might happen to the community if the disease reached epidemic proportions? How might public services (hospitals, police and fire departments, transportation) be affected? How can you prepare your community for a public health emergency? Write the script for a television program about this scenario that would serve to educate your community about this topic.

3. Watch a film with a story line revolving around a public health issue, such as "Sister Kenny" (1946), "The Andromeda Strain" (1971), "Longtime Companion" (1990), "Outbreak" (1995), or "Twelve Monkeys" (1995). Is the film's disease fictional, or does it refer to an existing health threat? Is the disease used as a metaphor for a larger threat? Why might the film have been made at that time? How, if at all, does the film raise the issue of informing versus alarming the public? Does the film offer a balanced view of an epidemic, or does it sensationalize the issue? Write a film review that critiques the film in terms of how it presents the public health issue.

4. Create a "How It Works" poster on the flu virus. What is its biological structure? How does it develop in the human body? How is it transmitted? Present posters in class.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
American History- Research other public health crises in United States history, such as the Swine Flu of 1976. Was the illness fatal? If so, how many people died? What were their demographic profiles (age, sex, geographic location, etc.) How, if at all, did the illness initiate research into treatments? How and what did we learn from the outbreak? Write a report of your findings.

Economics- Investigate one flu medication currently on the market. What is it, and what does it do? When was it introduced to the market? Where is it manufactured? Where is it sold, and for how much? If it is sold outside of the United States, what if any difference is there in the costs to sell it to foreign markets (are concessions made for consumers in developing countries)? What is the parent company of the drug, and what other medications or products does it sell? What are the annual earnings for the flu drug? Prepare an economic report on the revenues and expenditures (such as research and marketing) affiliated with the drug. Include charts and/or graphs showing its revenues throughout its history.

Geography- Create a thematic map of other pandemics in history, with different groups in the class each focusing on a different pandemic. Each group should investigate: Where did it begin? Where, how and how far did it spread? When did the pandemic occur? Gather the class's collective results on a single map and discuss the results. Do any patterns emerge?

Global History- Investigate a public health crisis currently affecting another part of the world. What are local officials doing to prevent the population from contracting and/or spreading the disease? What treatments are currently available to those affected by the disease? What obstacles exist that keep people from receiving the education, inoculation and/or treatment they need to prevent the spread of the disease? What, if any, international organizations are involved in helping the people in that country or region? What are they doing? Write a critical report on your findings. Include a section that addresses how, if at all, this health crisis might affect residents in your part of the world.

Teaching with The Times - Read the international, national and science sections of The Times every week for two months and clip articles about avian flu. At the end of the time period, write a reflection that summarizes the main issues that arose, including how different regions responded to the threat and any new scientific findings that developed. To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here.

Other Information on the Web
Avian Influenza (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/dis easesconditionsandhealthtopics/avianinfluenza/index.html) is a free collection of articles about avian influenza published in The New York Times since 1996.

PandemicFlu.gov (http://www.pandemicflu.gov) is the official U.S. government Web site for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza.

Centers for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/) provides information about diseases affecting those residing in the United States, including the flu.

United States Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.hhs.gov ) offers information about general public health issues affecting the United States.

Organization of Global Health (http://www.globalhealth.gov/), an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, provides information about global health issues affecting those living in the United States.

Academic Content Standards:
McRELThis lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

Grades 6-8
Science Standard 6 - Knows the general structure and functions of cells in organisms. Benchmark: Knows that disease in organisms can be caused by intrinsic failures of the system or infection by other organisms
Health Standard 8 - Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease. Benchmarks: Understands how lifestyle, pathogens, family history, and other risk factors are related to the cause or prevention of disease and other health problems; Knows communicable, chronic, and degenerative disease processes and the differences between them
Language Arts Standard 1 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes narrative accounts
Language Arts Standard 7 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Benchmarks: Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of informational texts; Summarizes and paraphrases complex, explicit hierarchic structures in informational texts; Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base; Seeks peer help to understand information; Draws conclusions and makes inferences based on explicit and implicit information in texts; Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts

Grades 9-12
Science Standard 6 - Knows the general structure and functions of cells in organisms. Benchmark: Knows that disease in organisms can be caused by intrinsic failures of the system or infection by other organisms
Health Standard 8 - Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease. Benchmarks: Understands how the immune system functions to prevent or combat disease; Understands the social, economic, and political effects of disease on individuals, families, and communities
Language Arts Standard 1 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes fictional, biographical, autobiographical, and observational narrative compositions; Writes descriptive compositions
Language Arts Standard 7 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Benchmarks: Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of informational texts; Summarizes and paraphrases complex, implicit hierarchic structures in informational texts, including the relationships among the concepts and details in those structures; Uses discussions with peers as a way of understanding information

[Bruce]

Re: Secrets of the Dead

The videos from above were good.

Exelent find.


Influenza is introduced as the mass murderer of 1918. To fully understand this historic flu pandemic several important questions must be answered.
http://media.pbs.org/ramgen/wnet/sec...2-teach1-hi.rm


The virus spread rapidly throughout the world with
two distinguishing characteristics. One was a particular symptom that
it caused and the other was who was most likely to become its victims.
http://media.pbs.org/ramgen/wnet/sec...2-teach2-hi.rm

The virus was definitely an animal virus. This clip
gives some insight into how the virus actually works and why it is so
successful at what it does.
http://media.pbs.org/ramgen/wnet/sec...2-teach3-hi.rm

[Sally Furniss]

Understanding Viruses

Understanding Viruses

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/understandingviruses/

Students will understand the following:
1. A virus is an infectious organism that reproduces within the cells of an infected host.
2. A virus is not alive until it enters the cells of a living plant or animal.
3. A virus contains genetic information wrapped in a protein coat.
4. Viruses can be useful as well as harmful.
5. A virus that mutates ensures its own survival by making itself unrecognizable to immune systems and vaccines.
6. Even viruses engineered for useful purposes can be harmful if unchecked.

Materials

For this lesson, you will need:
? Computer with Internet access
? Research materials on viruses
? Research materials on local weeds in your area

Procedures

1. Review with your students what they know about viruses. Be sure they understand that viruses occur in plants, as well as animals. (You might cite the tobacco mosaic virus, which kills tobacco plants.)

2. Tell your students that they are going to work on a project in which they will suggest a useful purpose for a virus, but first they need to know more about how viruses work.

3. Have students use print research materials and the Internet to add to their knowledge about viruses. (See Vocabulary and Links.) Students should understand the following before they continue with the activity:

1. A virus is an infectious organism that reproduces within the cells of an infected host.
2. A virus is not alive until it enters the cells of a living plant or animal.
3. A virus contains genetic information wrapped in a protein coat.
4. A virus that mutates ensures its own survival by making itself unrecognizable to immune systems and vaccines.

4. Divide your class into groups. Ask group members to imagine that they are part of a team of scientists assigned to stop a local weed epidemic by genetically engineering a virus that will target a local pest plant, or weed.

5. Discuss with the class how such a way of using a virus, while useful in some ways, could create dangers to the environment. Challenge students to suggest ways of safeguarding against such dangers.

6. Allow time for students to research the names and characteristics of local weeds, if necessary.

7. Instruct groups to perform the following tasks to complete their assignment:

1. Make a sketch of the target weed.
2. Make a sketch of how the virus will look.
3. Make a series of sketches showing the stages in the virus?s life cycle and the end result of its infection.
4. Describe safeguards you would take to keep the virus localized, make sure it isn?t harmful to animals or nontarget plants, and ensure that it doesn?t persist in the environment once the weeds are gone.
5. Make a display of your invention and post it in the classroom.

Adaptations

Have students work in groups to research viruses that have been used to control weed epidemics. Each group can write a report describing the outcome of such a program and the safeguards that were employed.

Discussion Questions

1. Explain the way in which a virus is able to reproduce and cause disease in a host.

2. Explain how World War I contributed to the flu pandemic of 1914. If there were no war, what probably would have happened to the flu strain? Give supporting statements to back your explanation.

3. Compare and contrast the work of Edward Jenner to that of Jonas Salk. How can the triumphs of these two virologists set an example for modern scientists researching new threats?

4. How might viruses help cure genetic diseases?

5. Describe two instances from the documentary in which disease was used as a weapon. How effective were the weapons? Is this practice still in use today? What are some of the potential consequences of using viruses in this manner?

6. How might the destruction of rain forests help spread new viral diseases?

Evaluation

You can evaluate your students on their projects using the following three-point rubric:

Three points: all sketches carefully executed and labeled; suggested safeguards reasonably realistic; safeguards clearly explained

Two points: sketches adequately executed and labeled; suggested safeguards reasonably realistic; explanation of safeguards lacks clarity

One point: sketches inadequate; suggested safeguards unrealistic; vague explanation of safeguards

You can ask your students to contribute to the assessment rubric by determining a minimum number of sketches for the display.

Extensions

Virus-Cell Comparison
Have each student draw and label a diagram of an animal cell and a virus, and then make a list of all the similarities and differences between the two. Students should then write a paragraph answering the following question: ?Why is a virus considered to exist between life and death??

Smallpox: To Be or Not to Be?
Smallpox disease was eliminated in 1979 after a worldwide effort to inoculate every man, woman, and child on Earth. Two collections of frozen smallpox virus have been preserved, one in Atlanta and the other in Moscow. Have students form discussion groups to talk about what they would do with the two collections. Students should list the pros and cons of keeping the smallpox virus in research laboratories, focusing on the ethics of eradicating life-forms that threaten the human population. Students can continue their study by researching how the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta works to protect us from other viral invaders. They might also create fictional stories or plays exploring possible consequences that could result if smallpox should ever be reintroduced into society.

Suggested Readings

Viruses
Howard and Margery Facklam, Twenty-First Century Books, 1994
This highly readable narrative of the history of viruses and vaccines features color illustrations, enlargements of microscopic images, and black-and-white historical sketches.

"Viruses"
Peter Jaret, National Geographic, July 1994
Virus-related catastrophes and research triumphs are told in this illustrated article that examines viruses' vast capabilities.

Links

Online Virology Tutorials

http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/default.html

This online tutorial can be used by classes to review what they have already learned about viral replication and how the cause of yellow fever was discovered.

Outbreak

http://www.outbreak.org/cgi-unreg/dynaserve.exe/index.html

Outbreak is an online service to provide information about emerging diseases, many of which are caused by viruses.

Outbreaks Page

http://www.who.ch/outbreak/outbreak_home.html

A current resource for information about disease outbreaks, a disease fact sheet, and influenza surveillance activities.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

http://www.cellsalive.com/hiv0.htm

Illustrates the stages of virus development, with great graphics.

Molecular Biology of Viruses

http://ppathw3.cals.cornell.edu/AnimalViruses/

Emphasizes molecular aspects of virology, drawing heavily on animal virus models and focusing on fundamental principles of virus structure, replication, genetics and virus-host interactions that lead to disease development.

Opportunistic Infection

http://www.aegis.com/topics/oi/index.html

Viruses

http://virology.science.org/dsdna.html

Standards

This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

Grade level: 6-8
Subject area: life science
Standard:
Knows the general structure and function of cells in organisms.
Benchmarks:
Knows that disease represents a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism; some diseases are a result of intrinsic failures of the system, whereas others are the result of infection by other organisms.

Grade level: 9-12
Subject area: life science
Standard:
Knows the general structure and function of cells in organisms.
Benchmarks:
Knows that cells store and use information to guide their functions; the genetic information stored in DNA is used to direct the synthesis of the thousands of proteins that each cell requires.

Credit

Frank Weisel, science teacher, Tilden Middle School, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

[Sally Furniss]

Teacher?s pack Indonesia bird flu

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/plans/060517_bird_flu.pdf

Teacher?s pack Indonesia bird flu

Lesson plan and student worksheets with answers.
Note: Uses Indonesia information current on 17 May 2005

[Sally Furniss]

Crossword

On-line crossword

http://www.vtaide.com/png/birdflu.htm

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Bird Flu Lesson Plans

What does bird flu mean to students?



The outbreak in Suffolk provides a starting point for discussing health issues and farming practices, says Judith Kneen

Tuesday February 20, 2007
The Guardian

It first made headlines three years ago, and it's not going away. The H5N1 bird flu virus was originally a news scare from faraway places, but it has come home to roost and Bernard Matthews, of Golden Drummers and Turkey Twizzler fame, has had to slaughter 160,000 turkeys.The H5N1 virus may be only a breath away from mutating into a virulent human form. For our students, flu pandemics are a footnote from history, but the advance of H5N1 emphasises what many scientists feel - that a flu pandemic is overdue. It is a grimly fascinating subject, and pertinent to many areas of the curriculum, including science, maths, geography and even art.
<!-- This site/section combo is not set up to show MPU's -->A KidsHealth video provides a good introduction to bird flu and how viruses work, suited to younger children. The BBC's Newsround site gives a neat summary. Older students can read the Guardian Unlimited special reports and click on the interactive guide.

Global threat
Despite its arrival in Suffolk, the greatest danger of H5N1 sparking a pandemic comes from elsewhere. For a global perspective, use Google Earth. Reporter Declan Butler has mapped the incidences of bird flu across the world over the past three years. It's a fabulous investigative tool.
Make your students virus detectives investigating the spread of avian flu: where it began, patterns of dispersal and types of birds affected. The BBC's interactive map is useful.
Science upd8 has produced two superb units of work on flu. A shorter task focuses on a flu pandemic, helping students get to grips with the maths of infection and death rates. A longer activity is a gripping simulation of how viral infection spreads.
Ask students to consider if we are prepared for a pandemic. Ask them to create an advice sheet.

Intensive farming
The current scare has also put intensive farming methods under the spotlight. Take a look at the Bernard Matthews website and consider past TV adverts.
Contrast its image of the operation with that of opponents of intensive farming. Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva) paints a brutal picture of poor living conditions and birds with dire health problems. You may wish to print off and edit the material for younger students.
A report by the RSPCA expresses concern about chickens living in dimly-lit sheds of up to 50,000. Encourage students to find out about the 20million battery hens in the UK. Set up a blog or message board with thought-provoking threads for student response.
Zoom in
Focusing on what is normally invisible can make a fascinating art project. Ask students to find an image of what a virus looks like (such as that here) and use this as the basis for artwork, perhaps digitally created or printed. Further inspiration for older students can be gained from the stunning pictures here. Teachers and students will find a complete KS3 lesson plan exploring bird flu on the Guardian's daily newsdesk for schools: www.learnnewsdesk.co.uk
Curriculum links
Key stage 2
Art 1a-c;
English (En1) 2a-c, 3a-f; (En2) 2a-d, 3a-g; (En3) 1a-e;
Geography 1a-c, 2c-f;
Maths (Ma4) 1a-e, 2a-b;
PSHE & citizenship 1a, 1c, 2a, 2f, 2k;
Science (Sc1) 1a, 2i-m; (Sc2) 1a-c, 5a, 5f
Key stage 3
Art 1a-c;
Citizenship 1f, 1h-i, 2a-c;
English (En1) 2a-f, 3a-e; (En2) 1a-e, 4a-d, 5a-d; (En3) 1a-k;
Geography 1a-d, 2c-d, 2f;
Maths (Ma4) 1a-h, 2a-b;
Science (Sc1) 2j-m; (Sc2) 1d, 2n
Key stage 4
Citizenship 1f-h, 1j, 2a-c;
English (En1) 2a-f, 3a-e; (En2) 1a-e, 4a-d, 5a-d; (En3) 1a-k;
Maths (Ma4) foundation 1a-d, higher 1a-b;
Science single (Sc1) 1c, 2k-o; (Sc2) 2l; double (Sc1) 2k-o; (Sc2) 1a, 2
Scottish curriculum
English language (levels C-F);
Environmental studies (levels C-F);
Expressive arts (levels C-F);
Health education (levels C-F);
Maths (levels C-F)

http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2016434,00.html

[Sally Furniss]

The X-Files (Medical Geography)

Lesson Title: The X-Files (Medical Geography)

Authors: Jerry Benson and Kim Thurman

Author Info:

Jerry Benson
Luverne High School
Luverne, Minnesota

Instructor Kim Thurman
9th Grade Geography Instructor
Soddy Daisy, TN

Grade: AP Geography

Key Words: Medical Geography, Spatial Diffusion, Influenza, Ebola, Virus, Population, Epidemic, Pandemic, Spanish Influenza, Epidemiology, Pathology, Expansion Diffusion, Hierarchical Diffusion, Contagious Diffusion, Vectors, Nonvectored, Vehicles, Infectious Disease, Chronic or Degenerative Diseases, Genetic or Inherited Diseases, Agents, Reservoir, Hosts, Networking, Traditional Medicine

Time Needed : Four to five class periods

Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. Acquire an understanding of applying geographical skills to modern medical problems through the field of medical geography.
2. Discuss, describe and give examples of the spatial diffusion process (hierarchical diffusion and contagious diffusion). Cause and effect relationships and how geographers analyze and explain how diseases are spread and medically controlled.
3. Demonstrate their knowledge of the diffusion of disease by mapping several diseases (Spanish Influenza of 1918 and Ebola).
a. Map making and analysis skills to show where certain diseases are
located.
b. Place-location. Why certain diseases occur where they do and how
they share a pattern of moving throughout human populations.
4. Gain an understanding and appreciation for the global medical network that has been created to help human populations from harmful contagious disease outbreaks.
5. Examine maps to draw conclusions and describe the diffusion of the influenza pandemic of 1918 in the United States and throughout the world.
6. Examine maps to draw conclusions and describe the diffusion of the Ebola in the United States and throughout the world.
7. Gain an understanding how maps can provide useful information about an issue.
8. Gain an understanding of how maps can be used to solve problems.
9. Acquire and use the vocabulary in the field of medical geography.
10. Gain computer skills by using data to make a spreadsheet and analyze the information geographically.

Materials:
1. Colored pencils
2. Pen or pencil
3. Calculator
4. Goode's World Atlas
5. Outline maps of the United States, the World and Africa
6. Computer (spread sheet activities) and access to the Internet
7. Resource sheets included in the teacher resource section
8. Background information on medical geography, influenza and Ebola
9. Vocabulary sheets of medical geography terms
10. Extension information on some suggested diseases that could be investigated geographically (i.e., Malaria, cholera, yellow fever, cancer, heart disease and many other health related issues)

Preparation :

Teacher Background Notes

The instructor needs to have a good understanding of the history of medical geography and the diffusion process. This will be provided for by teacher notes.

Medical Geography

Medical geographers are interested in the distribution, process and pathways by which diseases spread or are diffused. The diffusion process can be represented and analyzed by cartographic methods. Medical geographers attempt to answer the geographical questions of where and why certain disease take place on the Earth's surface. Such discoveries enable the scientific community to make important predictions that may prevent and reduce the damage of outbreaks of various diseases. Maps of an early outbreak of a disease can serve as an early alert for the development of strategy to be used in preparation for handling crisis situations. Medical geographers investigate the geographic distribution of major diseases (places) (movement) as well as their routes of diffusion.

Medical geographers use a three part classification system for grouping any world or regional disease. The first category for classifying any disease are called infectious diseases. An infectious disease is any such disease that results from an invasion of parasites and their multiplication in any human population. Infectious diseases are broken into two separate groups of diseases; vectored and non-vectored.

The second category for classifying any world or regional diseases are grouped into a category labeled as chronic or degenerative diseases. Chronic or degenerative diseases are those diseases of longevity. They do not kill instantly but cause long-term deterioration of the body. Cancer and heart disease are two examples.

A third category that is used in the classification system are diseases grouped as genetic or inherited diseases. These are diseases that can be traced directly to one's parentage and to the chromosomes and genes that define one's makeup. Hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, and lactose intolerance are just a few examples of genetic or inherited diseases.

Some diseases may occur in a region or maybe worldwide. When a disease of a high percentage hits a population and is localized, the disease is labeled as an epidemic. When a disease outbreak spreads worldwide is called a pandemic.

Medical geographers investigate a wide variety of diseases in order to improve the quality of human life. Medical geographers investigate any disease that hits the pool of human population. Medical geographers attempt to aide in the discovery of the host, cause and prevention of regional and world disease.


Diffusion Process
(See Models of Diffusion)

You may have never considered geography and the medical sciences to be related, but in fact they have an old partnership. In particular, the subfield of epidemiology is the study of how disease spreads. Geographers have long considered the spread or diffusion of phenomena across space. With the outbreak of cholera, yellow fever and the various types of influenza during the late 1800's and early 1900's, geographers have cooperated with epidemiologists.

From the American experience of the Civil War, the Union Army Corps of Engineers and Sanitation Departments record keeping of soldiers dying from dysentery to England Dr. John Snow, geographers and the medical sciences have worked together to network medical system to prevent and control many major contagious outbreaks. Also, one must not forget the United States building of the Panama Canal. Yellow fever had to be put under control before the canal could be built.

When studying diffusion, geographers look for contagious effects and hierarchical effects. Where something spreads from one point to another and where something spreads by jumping first to large cities and then to even small cities.

Places can affect other places through a process called spatial diffusion. Spatial diffusion is the spread of some phenomenon over space and through time from a limited number of origins. Geographers have discovered that all phenomena that diffuse share general spatial patterns and processes.

There are two types of diffusion: relocation and expansion diffusion. Relocation diffusion occurs when the items being diffused leave behind the original area as they move to new areas.

Expansion diffusion is the process whereby the item spreads geographically by passing from one person to another while remaining with the first person. The phenomenon begin diffused often intensifies in the origin region as new areas are affected by the phenomenon. An example of this type of diffusion is the diffusion of different types of influenza or some other contagious diseases as they move from one host to another.

The place where you live has something to do with when the diffusing disease reach you. There are two spatial regularities to the diffusion process. The first is a contagious effect which says that places near the origin will be affected first (central place theory). The farther you are from the point or point of origin, the later you will be affected.

Diffusion processes do not always follow the rule of distance. Hierarchal effects occur when phenomena spread first to major cities, then to intermediate-size places and then later to small rural towns.

How Diseases Spread

Infectious disease are spread by disease-causing organisms called agents. Agents can range from viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms that can invade the body or contaminate elements of the environment.

When we are afflicted by an infectious disease, we are hosts to that disease organism. When a population contains a large number of hosts, a reservoir has been formed from which the disease may expand or diffuse to additional susceptible people. These then become additional hosts, strengthening the disease reservoir.

The spreading of a disease occurs in several ways. Some agents are transmitted from one person directly to another by contact. Diseases that are transmitted this way are grouped together as non-vectored diseases, because they do not need an intermediate host or vector for their propagation. The common cold, measles, mononucleosis are among non-vectored disease.

When a disease is carried from one host to the next by an intermediate host, the disease is considered vectored. Insects are the most common vectors, but worms, snails and larger animals can serve as a vector.

Disease organisms are also transmitted by water, soil, food and feces. These are non-biological vectors, sometimes called mechanical vectors, or vehicles. Infectious diseases can thus be grouped according to whether they are vectored or non-vectored.

(See Typical Contagious Disease Diffusion)


Spanish Influenza of 1918 : A Case Study

The greatest pandemic in the history of modern world was the outbreak of the Spanish Influenza of 1918-1919. Over 25-30 million people died worldwide from this contagious disease. The disease started out and diffused from rural agricultural America to all corners of the planet. From the misunderstanding of viruses and the transportation of millions of soldiers, the world was faced with its first great medical challenge.

The influenza was called "Spanish Influenza" because in the late fall of 1918 Spanish authorities observed and reported to world officials that a suspicious disease was killing hundreds of people. Thus, the pandemic was on its killer course but misnamed.

At the time of the outbreak, medical officials knew very little about the scientific nature of influenza. Many medical officials believed that influenza was caused by bacteria. Viruses are and can be a very dangerous medical challenge if not understood and controlled in its early stages.

Influenza type A and type B are classified as non-vectored infectious diseases by epitomologists. Influenza can and was directly transmitted from person to person without an intermediate carrier. The worldwide pandemic of 1918 was a virulent strain of the virus which diffused from the rural agriculture Midwest of the United States to rest of the world. Influenza, once a new strain has begun to spread, diffuses when people inhale the airborne virus; and it spreads rapidly.

Why do new epidemics and pandemics of influenza occur? The answer apparently lies in the life cycle of the influenza A virus which comes from China. There the virus resides in birds, especially in waterfowl. The virus cannot be transmitted directly from birds to people. The virus is transmitted from to pigs and from pigs to humans. Farming practices put ducks in close proximity to pigs and, in turn, to people. People ill with the flu can transmit the virus to pigs. So, medical geographers believe that pigs are host to strains of influenza A virus. So, this means that new strains of the virus can be formed in the host. The new strain is transmitted from pigs to people.



The Origins of the Great Pandemic

Many retrospective analyses of the Great Pandemic suggest that it originated in the central area of the North American Continent early in the spring of 1918. The kind of influenza found in Kansas, Missouri and other parts of the Midwest was somewhat different from the ordinary form of the disease.

It was not until the next wave of influenza during autumn of 1918 that much attention was paid to the nature of the spring wave and how it differed from other epidemics in the proportions of victims who were young adults. During March and April of 1918, the disease spread from the Midwest into parts of the South and into many military camps in various parts of the United States. Probably, troops of the American Expeditionary Forces carried this form of influenza to Europe during the spring of 1918. As the spring epidemic waned in the United States, an even more virulent form of influenza surfaced in the ports of France. The disease quickly spread to the western front, which seemed to serve an even further epicenter for an incredibly lethal "second wave" of influenza that occurred in May of 1918.

The Crack of Doom

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 descended upon Europe in a ruinous fashion. In Europe, the diseases was known as "Spanish Influenza" perhaps because news from that neutral country was not censored during the war. The Spanish Influenza spread through much of the Mediterranean littoral. As the disease spread throughout parts of Europe, the disease was altered and a more merciless form continued to spread farther outward from it European epicenter, decimating many in its wake. Later that year the disease arrived in Australia, South Africa and a few weeks later in West Africa.

By August, this more virulent form of the disease, normally considered as the "second wave" had cut its swath among populations of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Japan, China and a large part of the Caribbean and large parts of Central and South America. By September, the threat of the pandemic was clearly recognized, the "second wave" is thought to have first arrived in the United States.

Given the annihilating propensity of the second wave, it is not difficult to reconstruct diffusion pathways in the United States during the autumn of 1918. Since the outbreak of this pandemic was so explosive (transportation and people from different parts of the world coming in contact with one another), it took a public health network several weeks to formulate reporting procedures because it was not accustomed to reporting influenza mortality from specific cities on a regular basis.

At the national level, Dr. William H. Davis, then chief statistician of the Bureau of the Census, used data coming in from across the country to start his analysis of the problem. Dr. Davis used September 14, 1918 as a reasonable beginning date for weekly reporting of influenza mortality, with some allowance for cumulative pandemic deaths prior to that date. Dr. Davis theorized that Boston was the epicenter for the disease and from there the disease diffused rapidly to several New England cities and New York City. By late September, several several additional influenza epicenters had formed: these included Chicago, the Gulf Coast and Chesapeake Bay area. (See the map, U.S. Influenza Diffusion Pathways: First Autumn Wave, Pandemic of 1918-1919)

By December of 1918, the Public Health Service had produced some maps on the progression of the Pandemic. A map based on reports from military bases as well as several hundred urban places was produced.
Other maps were produced showing reports from over 175 cities. A pattern soon was discovered linking the progression of the disease across the United States. Analysis from data of records of the first wave showed how the diffusion patterns of the disease skipped from the very largest to next largest metropolitan centers. Also, reports showed how the disease was linked with army training camps.

According to officials at the Public Health Service, a leading biostatistician discovered that four metropolitan centers suffered severely from the "second wave," they were: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

Philadelphia may have been one of the hardest-hit cities during the initial phases of the pandemic. The disease seems to have spread to the civilian population of that city from both their Philadelphia Navy Yard and Fort Dix, New Jersey. Within a month almost 11,000 deaths were attributed to the disease. Approximately 25% of the American population was affected by this pandemic.


Symptoms of the Spanish Influenza Disease

In addition to some of the classic symptoms of the disease- fever, headaches, nausea, muscle pains and respiratory problems - many victims expectorated quantities of sputum and turned purple or blue. Sometimes this syndrome occurred within two days of the onset of symptoms. Many researchers believe that the disease may have been more than one disease because of the circumstances and the high youthful mortality rate. It is known that more than half-million person in the United States alone died from this disease.

Activities:

Day One :
1. Introduce the term medical geography to students. Within this discussion include the term spatial diffusion. (See Teacher Background Notes)
2. Discuss disease classification (See Teacher Background Notes)
3. Ask students to think about and name diseases and how people might contract those disease. (i.e. flu, AIDS, chicken pox, mononucleosis, lime disease, etc.) Try to lead students to name diseases that are contracted from animals, water or food, (vectors) and those that are contracted by contact with an infected person (non-vectored). Discuss the term vector. (See Teacher Background Notes)
4. Discuss relocation and expansion diffusion. (See Teacher Background Notes and the Models of Diffusion)
5. Discuss the two modes of diffusion, contagious and hierarchical. (See Teacher Background Notes and the Models of Diffusion)

Day Two : Mapping Exercise
1. A good way to introduce this unit would be to start out by reading the following song-poem about the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of
1918-1919 :

I had a little bird
And its name was Enza.
I opened the window
And in-flew Enza.
You could discuss the meaning of this little well-known song as a lead-in to the lessons of the pandemic of 1918-1919.

2. Student will map the following data collected on total deaths from the flu outbreak. An outline map of the United States will be needed.

<table border="1"> <tbody><tr><th>State</th> <th>No. Cases</th> </tr><tr> <td>California</td> <td>17880</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Colorado</td> <td>6266</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Connecticut</td> <td>8653</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Indiana</td> <td>10562</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Kansas</td> <td>7440</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Kentucky</td> <td>13870</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Maine</td> <td>3667</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Maryland</td> <td>9898</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Massachusetts</td> <td>22776</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Michigan</td> <td>12253</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Minnesota</td> <td>84842</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Missouri</td> <td>13202</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Montana</td> <td>3918</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New Hampshire</td> <td>2972</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New Jersey</td> <td>19924</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New York</td> <td>48945</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ohio</td> <td>25275</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Pennsylvania</td> <td>64837</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Rhode Island</td> <td>3328</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Utah</td> <td>2343</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Vermont</td> <td>1816</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Virginia</td> <td>14184</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Washington</td> <td>5559</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Wisconsin</td> <td>9313</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
3. Students are to take the raw data that is listed above and arrange the data (cook) in order to be mapped:

The following data needs to be arranged from highest to lowest in order to make a histogram :

Range ________ Mean _______ Median _______ Mode______

The data can also be used in a computer program data spreadsheet.

The students are to make a map from the data that has been cooked.

The Map components can be easily checked :

Title, Orientation, Date, Author, Legend, Source and Scale

T O D A L S S


The following is an assessment sheet to grade the map:

_____ 1 pt. Title ________________________________

<hr>
_____ 1 pt. Author

_____ 1 pt. Date

_____ 1 pt. Orientation (Compass Rose)

_____ 1 pt. Scale

_____ 1 pt. Source

_____ 10 pts. Legend
Classification Scheme _________
Histogram ______
Range, Mean, Medium and Mode.

______ 25 pts Mapped Data


________/ 47 Total Points

4. The students should be able to recognize several patterns from the 25 states' data they map. Discuss some of the patterns. Ask: Where are major population deaths from influenza located? Why?

Day 3 : Mapping the 25 Top Metropolitan (Population of 100,000 or more)
Areas for Influenza Deaths

1. Hand out the list of the following 20 cities that were hit the hardest by the outbreak of influenza:
(This activity could be used on a computer spreadsheet).

1910 Voter Registration Numbers, deaths from Influenza, 1919

<table border="1"> <tbody><tr><th> City</th> <th> Number of Deaths</th> </tr><tr> <td>Detroit</td> <td>2347</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Minneapolis-St. Paul</td> <td>979</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Los Angeles</td> <td>1055</td> </tr> <tr> <td>San Francisco</td> <td>1927</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New York</td> <td>14822</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Philadelphia</td> <td>4034</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Chicago</td> <td>5122</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Boston</td> <td>3303</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New Orleans</td> <td>1284</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Baltimore</td> <td>1679</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Cleveland</td> <td>2046</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Pittsburgh</td> <td>2252</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Cleveland</td> <td>2046</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Washington D.C.</td> <td>976</td> </tr> <tr> <td>St. Louis , MO.</td> <td>965</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Jersey City</td> <td>1117</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Atlanta</td> <td>598</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Seattle</td> <td>591</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Milwaukee</td> <td>851</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Denver</td> <td>581</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
3. The students are to make a histogram ranking the highest to lowest and find the range, mean, median and the mode for each.

4. Students are to locate and label each city by placing dots on a blank map of the United States. What are some of the patterns that can be recognized? Where are these patterns and can you speculate why?

Day Four : Recognizing the Diffusion Process of the Pandemic of
1918-1919 on A Global Scale

1. Hand out the world map to show the second wave diffusion scale.

2. Students are to label the following nations:

<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <td>United States</td> <td>France</td> <td>Great Britain</td> <td> Canada</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Brazil</td> <td>China</td> <td>Russia</td> <td>Belgium</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Germany</td> <td>India</td> <td>Japan</td> <td>Australia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Madagascar</td> <td>Peru</td> <td>Mexico</td> <td>Cuba</td> </tr> <tr> <td>South Africa</td> <td>Spain</td> <td>Columbia</td> <td>Panama</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Philippines</td> <td>Venezuela</td> <td>Iceland</td> <td>New Zealand</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Morocco</td> <td>Portugal</td> <td>Turkey</td> <td>Egypt</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Italy</td> <td>Austria</td> <td>Finland</td> <td>
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
3. Discuss the many diffusion patterns on the global scale. How did the disease get to Australia, China, India, Alaska and Japan?

Day Five : Internet Activity

1. If you have access to the Internet in a computer lab, you and your class can log on to the World Health Web site at http://www.who. You can get into their web site and look up information on the major contagious diseases in the world today. Students could even go off on their own and investigate a disease of their choice. There are many database spreadsheet activities that the student could do on their own on other diseases such as the ones listed below:

AIDS Pneumonia
Dengue Fever
Influenza
Ebola
Alzheimer'
Cancer
Cholera
Arteriosclerosis
Sickle Cell Anemia
Bilharzia Lactose Intolerance
Tuberculosis
Malaria
Heart Disease
Yellow Fever
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

2. This would be an excellent introduction to Kim's lessons on Ebola.



Lesson Title: Models of Diffusion-An Introduction to Medical Geography
Ebola

Author: Kim Thurman

Author Info: 9th Grade Geography Instructor, Soddy Daisy, TN

Key Terms: medical geography, spatial diffusion, vector, infectious disease, chronic disease, genetic disease, relocation diffusion, expansion diffusion, contagious diffusion, hierarchical diffusion

Time Needed: Three to four class periods

Overview:
In 1854, Dr. Snow, a physician, decided to take a geographical approach to find the source of the cholera epidemic sweeping the Shoho district of London. This is one of the earliest examples of the application of geographic study; the why of where.

One tool that is used to answer why phenomena, such as disease, appears and spreads the way it does, is the diffusion model. Like other phenomena, diseases spread in patterns. In this lesson, students will learn two models of diffusion, contagious and hierarchical. Students will also learn to classify disease and identify how it spread in order to provide evidence for how it diffuses.

Objectives: Student will be able to:
1. Describe the work of a medical geographer.
2. Explain spatial diffusion.
3. Identify vectored and non-vectored diseases.
4. Classify disease as infectious, chronic, or genetic.
5. Explain two models of diffusion: contagious, hierarchical.
6. Distinguish between relocation and expansion diffusion.

Materials:
1. Teacher Background Notes (in previous lesson)
2. Overhead transparency created from Appendix 1.
3. Student access to research materials
4. Human geography text

Preparation:
1. Teacher should read the background material provided.
2. If time permits, familiarize yourself with several diseases (see list)
3. Create the transparency of the diffusion model.

Activities:

Day One:
1. Introduce the term medical geography to students. Within this discussion include the term spatial diffusion. (See Teacher Background Notes)
2. Discuss disease classification. (See Teacher Background Notes)
3. Ask students to think about and name diseases and how people might contract those diseases. (i.e. flu, AIDS, chicken pox, mononucleosis, lime disease, etc.) Try to lead students to name diseases that are contracted from animals, water or food, (vectors) and those that are contracted by contact with an infected person (non-vectored). Discuss the term vector. (See Teacher Background Notes)
4. Discuss relocation and expansion diffusion. (See Teacher Background Notes)
5. Discuss the two modes of diffusion, contagious and hierarchical. (See Teacher Background Notes)

Day Two: (This may take 2 days.)
1. Divide students into groups and give the following assignment:

Have students research the following diseases. They should only look for information that will tell them a) how the disease is contracted, b) how it should be classified, and c) how it diffuses among the population.

The teacher may want to limit the disease list to ones with which she is familiar or has time to research.

Some suggestions: Extensions

Aids Pneumonia
Dengue Fever
Influenza
Ebola
Alzheimer'
Cancer
Cholera
Arteriosclerosis
Sickle Cell Anemia
Bilharzia Lactose Intolerance
Tuberculosis
Malaria
Heart Disease
Yellow Fever
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)


Day Three
When students have completed their research, complete the chart given below as a class.

How Disease Spreads: Classification Pattern of Diffusion

Example:

Ebolanon-vectored infectious hierarchical

Assessing Student Learning:

Have students explain why the information given for the chart is true. This may be done either orally as the chart is completed or as a separate assessment activity. A student response might resemble the following:

Ebola is spread by direct contact with infected people, therefore, it is a non-vectored infectious disease. It is infectious because it is caused by a virus. Most outbreaks of Ebola have been caused due to unsafe practices by those unfamiliar with the disease. This includes healthcare providers, family members, coroners, and veterinarians coming into direct contact with blood, secretions, or organs of infected persons or animals. The diffusion has been limited to locally contained outbreaks. This suggests a hierarchical pattern of diffusion.





Lesson Title: Medical Geography-Mapping Disease-Ebola

Key Terms: Ebola, barriers to diffusion, natural reservoir, spatial diffusion, hierarchical diffusion

Time Needed: One class period

Overview: In this lesson, students will become familiar with the type of work done by a medical geographer. Students should have some knowledge already about how things diffuse over space. In this lesson, students will map the diffusion of the Ebola virus. The mapping exercise will focus on the areas of equatorial Africa that have been affected. Information on where the disease has appeared in other parts of the world will also be examined.

Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. Use the diffusion model to explain spatial patterns of disease.
2. Identify barriers to diffusion.
3. Ask geographic questions.
4. Define a natural reservoir.
5. Use a data set to create a thematic map.

Materials:
1. Ebola Data Sheet
2. Ebola Subtypes diagram

Preparation:
1. Teacher should read a few of the suggested books and view videos. Crucial media includes The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett (section on Ebola) and Outbreak, video produced by CNN.
2. Familiarize yourself with the mapping activity.
3. Students should be introduced to concepts of diffusion and the models of diffusion prior to this activity.
4. Students should be familiar with mapping techniques and creating categories for a thematic map.
5. Teacher should become familiar with background information given on diffusion and Ebola. See background history of Ebola below:

On August 26, 1976, Mabola Lokela entered the Yambuku Hospital with a fever. One of the Belgian Sisters gave him a shot of chloroquine, believing him to have Malaria. When Mabalo returned to the hospital on September 1st with a high grade fever, he was sent home to rest where his wife Sophie tended him. On September 5th Mabalo again returned to the hospital. This time he was bleeding from his nose and gums. He vomited blood and had acute diarrhea, also permeated with blood. On September 8th Mabalo died. On September 20th Mabalo's mother, who had prepared his body for burial, also died from the dreadful disease that had taken her son. His wife, Sophie became terribly ill but survived. The child she was carrying did not. Out of Mabalo's twenty-one friends and family members who contracted the disease, eighteen died.

The 1976 outbreak of Ebola in the area of Yambuku, Zaire claimed two-hundred eighty lives. Thirty-eight others survived the horrible disease. Ebola survivors face liver, kidney, neurological, and sometimes psychological damage.

Activities:
1. Hand out the Ebola Data sheet and have students make a chart that has the year, number of cases, and the locations of the outbreaks.
2. Mapping Exercise. Have students use the information from their charts to create categories. The categories will show the number of cases of Ebola found in each city using graduated circles. Label each city and draw the appropriate sized circle. For cities with outbreaks in different years, write the year for that outbreak near the circle. Circles may overlap. You may want to use different colors for different cities to make the map easier to read.
3. Analyze the map by asking the following questions:

a) Where are most cases found? b) What do you notice about these locations? (they are all clustered together in separate locations) c) Do the patterns suggest contagious or hierarchical patterns of diffusion? (hierarchical) d) Do there seem to be any barriers to diffusion? (Discuss this term) e) What are other observations you can make or questions you can ask by studying the map? (Lead students to make geographic observations and ask geographic questions-the why of where)
4. Show students the Ebola Subtypes diagram. Explain that although all subtypes exhibit the same or similar symptoms, the genetic makeup of the subtypes differs. However, the subtype found at a location is genetically the same over time.

Also, point out that the natural reservoir (discuss this term) of the Ebola virus is unknown. Although the "Reston" subtype in the United States via the Philippines was traced to monkeys and the "Tai" subtype was transmitted to humans from chimpanzees in Cote d'Ivoire, scientists do not believe that monkeys are the source since they also succumb to the disease. It is interesting to note that transmission from monkey to person and person to person does not always cause death. However, transmission by needles and contaminated syringes has caused death every time.
5. Conclude the lesson. Summarize with students what they know to this point. (What is it?, Where is it?, How is it spread?) Review key terms. Discuss how medical professionals might be able to use this geographic information. (Predict where it may show up in the future, look for relationships of people's practices at the times of the occurrences, etc.)

Extension:
Have students research each country and its cases of Ebola. They should gather information that will lead to questions such as: Were entire villages wiped out? Are people still living there? What might be the barriers to diffusion?


Performance Assessment Activity

Background

When epidemics strike, several groups may be called to lend assistance. The groups include the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and other health organizations around the world. Medical geographers can be of invaluable assistance to the medical professional. The job of the medical geographer is to look for reasons that a disease occurs at a location. The MG observes relationships between the disease and the environment. He will also determine if there are any cultural practices that contribute to the appearance and spread of the disease. The MG must ask geographic questions (such as where did it begin? Why here? Where did it spread?) and make geographic observations. Finally, he will map his observations to answer questions, make observations, and ask more questions. The skills of the MG can help determine cause, reveal the source, and contain the spread of disease.

Task

There has been an outbreak of an infectious disease somewhere in the world. As part of a UN medical team, your task is to determine how the disease spreads, to what extent it has affected the population, and the type of disease with which you are dealing. You must research information on the disease. Your final product will be an oral report with visuals. The visuals will be a map or series of maps that show the affected areas, the diffusion of the disease and its origin. Other visuals may be used to enhance the presentation. The report should provide background information of the disease, explain the origin (or propose a possible origin) and explain the maps and visuals.


Procedure

1. Read the Checklist for Creating a Thematic Map and the Checklist for making an Oral Presentation with Visuals.
2. Review Models of Diffusion.
3. Choose an infectious disease that has caused an epidemic or pandemic. (Any time period may be used).
4. Research the disease.
5. Gather data on the location and diffusion of the disease. Organize the data into a chart.
6. Create the map(s). See Steps for Creating a Thematic Map below.
7. Write the report.
8. Create additional visuals.
9. Have a peer check your work.




Checklist for Writing an Oral Report

_____ Report has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

_____ There is a clear thesis.

_____ The report poses geographic questions.

_____The report makes geographic observations.


Checklist for Map or Visual

_____ The map includes all the essential elements.

_____ Map or visual is neat, clear, and easy to view from a distance.

_____ Map/Visual uses color or shading to enhance the map.

_____ Theme of map is obvious at first glance.


Steps for Creating a Thematic Map

1. Choose a base map appropriate for your theme.
2. Collect the data.
3. Choose symbols, colors, or shading that will be easy to read and have meaning on the map.
4. Choose reasonable category breaks for the data.

Evaluation:
Maps, discussion and performance based assessment tools.


Bibliography

Brown, Lester R. State of the World : 1997. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 1997.

Carnes, Mark, C, and Garraty, John, A. Mapping America's Past : A
Historical Atlas. New York: Henry Hot and Company, 1996.

Cliff, Andrew, D. and Haggett, Peter. Atlas of Disease Distributions:
Analytic Approaches to Epidemiological Data. Towbridge, Wiltshire:
Great Britain, 1988.

Crichton, Michael. The Andromeda Strain. New York: Dell Publishing,
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Crosby, Alfred, W. America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918.
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Crosby, Alfred, W. Germs, Seeds & Animals: Studies in Ecological History.
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de Blij, H.J. Human Geography: Culture, Society, and Space. New York:
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Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York: W. W. Norton &
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Espenshade, Edward B. Jr (Editor). Goode's World Atlas. New York: Rand McNally &
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Fisher, J. The Plague Makers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.

Garrett, Laurie. The Coming Plague : Newly Emerging Diseases In A World
Out of Balance. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1994.

Gersmehl, Phil. Why Not Here? Teaching Geography to a New Standard.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1996.

Gould, Stephen, J. Bully for Brontosaurus. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.

Hanson, Susan (Editor). 10 Geographic Ideas That Changed the World.
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Johnston, R.J. Geography and Geographers : Anglo-American Human
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Kennedy, Paul. Preparing for The Twenty-First Century. New York:
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Krieg, Joann P. Epidemics In the Modern World. New York: Twayne
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Martin, Geoffrey J. and James, Preston, E. All Possible Worlds: A History
of Geographical Ideas. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.

McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. New York: Doubleday, 1976.

Morris, Scott, E. Using and Understanding Maps: Population of the World.
New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1993.
Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Dell Publishing Group, 1994.

Pyle, Russell, Roy. The Diffusion of Influenza : Patterns and Paradigms. New Jersey,
Totowa : Rowman & Littlefield, Adams & Company, 1986.

Ryan, Frank. The Forgotten Plague. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1993.

Ryan, Frank. Virus X : Tracking The New Killer Plagues Out of The Present and Into
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Wilson, Edmund, O. The Diversity of Life. New York: Penguin, 1993.
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