Infectious Diseases

Overview

Click on the links above for teaching schemes, activities and web links and other resources related to this topic.

Timing
If this is used as the first topic in the course it will take considerably longer than later topics of equivalent length because the topic lends itself to the introduction, for the first time, of many of the key Ideas About Science. Up to 14 hours is useful though not essential.

A suggested route through the topic

1 Setting the scene

• A topical news story such as vCJD, MMR vaccine or HIV. (Ideas and evidence CD)
• A comparison between death rates from infectious diseases in the UK, in Africa today and in the UK 150 year ago.

2 Germ theory of disease

The historical studies give good opportunities to begin looking at 12.1 (data and explanation) and 12.3 (Causal links).

• UK health issues in 19th century, activities from Medicine and Health through Time Schools History Project John Murray.
• Article and questions on Snow or Semmelwiess
• Discussion of Pasteur's flasks to "prove" germ theory of disease and alternative explanation (ASE Nature of Science Pasteur)
• Discussion of graphs showing decline of infectious disease before effective drugs or vaccines, to introduce role of public health and standard of living
• Discussion of modes of transmission of current infectious disease issues, vCJD, Foot and Mouth, TB and HIV using media stories
• Reading and discussion of a recent uncertainty such as BSE, role of infection in ulcers or heart disease.
• Answering questions to check on knowledge of germ theory and symptoms of some important infectious diseases

3 Immunisation

Opportunity to discuss experiment design, ethics of medical research and 12.2 social influences.

• Start with a discussion of their own immunisations and some diseases they cannot be vaccinated against (table of current UK scheme and symptoms)
• Discussion of Jenner's work. Text book p 16
• Discussion of Pasteur's work on chicken cholera and anthrax (ASE Nature of Science - Pasteur)
• Study of evidence of harm from MMR or other vaccine and debate. Text book p23 (Ideas and evidence CD)
• Reading or video on a mass vaccination campaign in a developing country
• Summary of the stages in the development of the germ theory of disease through completion of time line

4 Medicines

• Ehrlich (SATIS 14 - 16, 805) or Fleming
• Antibiotic resistance, explanation of science
• Discussion of data on antibiotic resistance (WHO infectious diseases report 2000)
• Role play on antibiotic resistance

5 Current issues

• This section gives an opportunity to review many of the health issues already introduced such as the distinction between prevention and cure or the effects of standard of living on health, and to explore the particular health problems of people in poorer countries
• One approach is to consider one disease in some detail, HIV TB or malaria would be appropriate (http://www.who.int/HIV_AIDS/first.html), (http://www.who.int/infectious-disease-report 1999).
• A possible starting point for HIV is a set of controversial questions to discuss
• 'Adopt' one developing country and consider its health problems. Other issues affecting the same country could then be explored in other topics in the course
• Use of data from the UNDP human development index to explore correlations between various health indicators and other factors such as per capita GDP, safe water. See the human development index.
• Discussion of the reliability of data on health issues and of projections and plans made using the data
• Dengue fever exercise