Disease Detectives 60-Minute Health & Life Science Lesson Interactive Video Conference Grades: Disease Detectives: An Exercise In Epidemiology

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1 Disease Detectives 60-Minute Health & Life Science Lesson Interactive Video Conference Grades: 6-12 TEACHER GUIDE Disease Detectives: An Exercise In Epidemiology Description This just in: Nearly half of the students at East Coliville High School are sick with similar symptoms, and the school cafeteria is being blamed! As part of the local health department epidemiology crew, you will work together to eliminate false leads and piece together clues to determine the cause of this outbreak. It is up to your team to interpret data, identify possible pathogens, locate their sources and solve the case before this illness claims more victims. Objectives Identify the differences between outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Analyze how environmental factors can affect food quality and personal health. Describe the importance of accurate research and communication within public health surveillance Use analytical tools including 2x2 tables and bar graphs to interpret data Ohio s Learning Standards Grade 6-8: Science - Inquiry and Application National Health Education Standards Grade 6-12: Standards 1, 2, 3, 5 Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health. Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors. Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and services to enhance health. Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health. Produced and published by the Education Division 1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH /6/17

2 Before Your Program & How to Set Up Your Room Each student (or team of students) needs a copy of the 8-page Outbreak Investigation Kit (at the end of this guide), and pencils. Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below. Vocabulary agent a substance that exerts some force or effect. bacteria microscopic, single-celled organisms that lack chlorophyll and nuclei. epidemic a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease in a specified community, often beyond what is expected, within a certain time period. epidemiology the study of the frequency, distribution, and behavior of a disease within a population. exposure to come in contact with an infectious agent in a manner that promotes transmission and the likelihood of disease. Gram stain a method using dyes and clearing agents that differentiates bacteria into two groups: gram-negative and gram-positive. incubation period the time between when a person comes in contact with a pathogen and when they first begin to show symptoms or signs of disease. infection invasion of the body by pathogenic agents. infectious able to spread from one organism to another. onset time of the appearance of the first symptoms of an illness. outbreak a sudden occurrence of disease in two or more people during a specified period of time. pandemic a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of people. pathogen a disease causing agent, such as a bacterium or virus. pathogenic disease causing. public health surveillance system of doctors and health officials collecting and comparing data on various diseases or infections within communities. Some more virulent diseases, by law, must be reported to public health officials every time they are diagnosed. relative risk ratio of the risk of disease or death among the exposed segment of the population to the risk among the unexposed. symptom evidence or sign of disease or infection. Produced and published by the Education Division 1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH /6/17

3 virulence relative ability of a pathogen to cause disease. virulent able to cause illness or disease. virus ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic. Extension Activities Microbes Making Headlines Whenever there is a crime like a homicide, news reporters are often the first people to arrive on the scene. They may provide sketchy details to the public even before detectives have begun a full-scale investigation. Use the attached activity sheet, Microbes Making Headlines to let students check their local newspapers for this kind of challenge to epidemiologists. The 4 Cs of Food Safety The 4 Cs of Food Safety are Clean, Cook, Combat Cross-Contamination, and Chill. Write these steps on the board and take student suggestions of various food items they have eaten in the past few days that were purchased raw and which of the 4 Cs would apply to these foods. Use the Outbreak Investigation Kit to identify possible microbes that could contaminate these foods. Online Resources for Teachers and Students Click the link below to find additional online resources for teachers and students. These websites are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information and some fun, interactive activities to share with your class. CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please notify us if any links have issues. Cleveland Museum of Natural History Produced and published by the Education Division 1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH /6/17

4 DISEASE DETECTIVES: Outbreak Investigation Kit Investigator Name: Key Steps of an outbreak investigation: o Step 1: o Step 2: o Step 3: o Step 4: o Step 5: o Step 6: o Step 7: o Step 8: o Step 9: o Step 10: Prepare for fieldwork Establish the existence of an outbreak Verify the Diagnosis Define and identify cases Describe and orient the data in terms of time, place, and person Develop hypotheses Evaluate hypotheses Refine hypotheses and carry out additional studies Implement control and prevention measures Communicate findings 1

5 OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION DATA - - Line Listing: Victims, Onset, Symptoms- - 2

6 FOODBORNE ILLNESS: THE USUAL SUSPECTS Gram Positive (+) Bacteria Gram Negative (- ) Other Possible Culprits 3

7 OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION DATA - - Potential Sources: School Lunch- - 4

8 OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION DATA - - Possible Sources: Food Suppliers- - 5

9 OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION ANALYSIS - - Calculate Relative Risk- - (A / C) x 100 (X / Y) (A / C) x 100 (X / Y) (X / Y) (A / C) x 100 (X / Y) 6

10 TIME WILL TELL: THE EPIDEMIC CURVE Epidemic Curve for Acute Gastroenteritis- 12 Hour Period INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the grid above to create a histogram (bar graph) of the time of onset of first symptoms. Use a pencil to shade in one box for each person who became ill at each time point, beginning with 1 and working upward. Do you see a pattern? Determine the incubation period for the illness by calculating the time between exposure (the time the food was eaten) and the time when the fist symptoms were observed. What is the shortest observed incubation time? What is the longest? Can you determine the median incubation period? Can you calculate the average (mean) incubation period? Why didn t everyone get sick at the same time? 7

11 FINAL REPORT INSTRUCTIONS: This is a portion of the form used to report a foodborne outbreak to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The actual form is 6 pages long! You can find the full form here: You may not have enough data to complete all the items. Complete as much of the form as you can. You will have to do some additional calculations not covered in the program. 8

12 Disease Detectives Microbes Making Headlines Stories about infectious diseases have been making headlines around the world. From a small outbreak of food poisoning at the county fair to global concerns over bio-terrorism, microbes are a hot topic in the news. Find a recently published article in a newspaper, magazine, website or other source about a disease caused by an infectious agent (bacteria, virus or parasite). Read the full article, cut it out or print it, and try to answer the questions below. Does the story have enough facts to answer them all? Be prepared to discuss your answers with your class. Who are the people who became ill from the disease? How many people became sick? What is the agent that causes the disease? Is it known? Is the agent a virus, bacteria or parasite? What is its name? When did the outbreak or epidemic begin? When was the disease first discovered? Where did the outbreak of the disease occur? What was the city, state or country where people became ill? Is it in more than one place? Why is the microbe in the news? What makes the story interesting or why might it be important that people know about it? How can people protect themselves from the disease? How are doctors and scientists working to prevent more people from becoming infected? How did the disease and agent spread (transmitted)? 1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle, Cleveland, OH Revised 4/21/16