In this activity, students will learn about John Snow, considered to be the father of epidemiology. They will learn how he used scientific methods to identify the environment in which cholera was spreading. By disrupting this environment, he ended the epidemic. Then students will learn more about modern-day “disease detectives,” deciding whether this would be a possible career for them to pursue.

In this lesson, students will learn about flu virus, vaccination, and the possible effects of a flu pandemic. Through an interactive PowerPoint and Webquest, students learn about how the flu virus can change, spread, and, in certain cases, result in a pandemic. Students will also learn about flu surveillance. They will collect data about flu transmission and analyze data from two flu pandemics. As an extension, students can create a public service announcement(PSA) for the seasonal flu vaccination.

Students analyze patterns of cholera in an area of London similar to how Dr. John Snow, father of epidemiology, did in 1854.

In this lesson, students will act as epidemiologists by mapping the prevalence of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

In this lesson, students will identify, analyze, and interpret patterns in data related to a public health emergency, investigate and plan a public health emergency response to a natural disaster, and determine ways to prepare for public health emergencies.

This NOVA episode examines the return of diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago. It takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

In this unit, students will investigate the effect of epidemics on populations and the ways in which epidemic models can clarify the spread of disease for the general public. Students will research a specific epidemic and then suggest a model for demonstrating the spread of the disease.

In this case study, students will analyze data and information about the outbreak as if it were happening in real time. They will use this information to make decisions about how to effectively monitor and respond to an enterovirus D-69 (EV-D68) outbreak. Students will classify increases in numbers of persons with EV-D68 as a cluster, outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic to help justify planning decisions for conducting a field investigation. Students will apply a case definition to collect data needed to characterize an outbreak by using correct graphs and tables. Oral and written communication skills will be used to communicate findings to the public.

In this activity, students study a graph consisting of six global heat maps. Each map depicts the number of species in a given mammal clade know to carry at least one zoonotic disease. Students will analyze the maps and answer a series of questions to better understand disease outbreaks.

In this podcast, Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the Gates Foundation, talks to Scientific American editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina about the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the efforts to create vaccine platforms for rapid responses to epidemics.

In this role-playing activity, students experience how the human immune system protects the body against infection.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science.

In this problem-based learning module, students focus on issues related to understanding the nature and transmission of the Rift Valley fever virus, a virus that causes the death of large numbers of livestock in Kenya and in much of sub-Saharan Africa, and can also infect humans. This module is part of Exploring the Environment.

In this lesson, students simulate disease transmission in vaccinated and unvaccinated communities and then research vaccine-preventable diseases. They analyze indirect and direct costs associated with the immediate and long-term effects of the decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. In groups, students create an interactive project that includes a cost analysis and other research to increase awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and their potential resurgence.

Students are asked the question, "What do we need to do to prevent or control an outbreak of yellow fever at our school if it occurred today?" Students will work in small collaborative groups to examine the problem of epidemics in past and modern times. Students will develop their own public health policy that reflects the challenges of a modern day outbreak of yellow fever at school. Students will present their findings in the form of a written letter/report and multimedia presentation to the class and to the Principal. This lesson utilizes documents from the North Carolina State Government Publications Collection.

This is a visual representation of the U.S. AIDS epidemic from 1981 to 1997. Each dot represents 30 cases.

In this video lecture series, two leading researchers explain how they use both simple and sophisticated technologies to detect and fight infectious agents.