Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School Disease: Annihilation or Salvation? A proposal for the Presidential Commission on Disease Control ~ a past, present and future perspective. In recent weeks the president and his cabinet have been in emergency session to discuss the alarming outbreaks of nine major diseases across the US. They are summoning experts from across the country to help assess and determine the best course of action for the rapid resolution of this national crisis. They will be calling in specialists from the areas of epidemiology, human relations, crisis assessment resolution, and homeland security. Your task, as an expert, is to assess the most efficient and life-preserving method with which to deal with one of the nine epidemics. Your team will develop an action plan and will present this plan to the Presidential Commission on Disease Control (PCDC), and to an extent, the American public at large. If you fail, areas of the United States could face annihilation. If you succeed, you could be your nation's salvation. Therefore, make sure your research is thorough, your conclusions are sound, and your recommendations are prudent. You will present your action plan to the PCDC as an Epidemiology team. It is important to note that all members of the team will speak and present to the PCDC, based on one of four roles: 1. 2. 3. 4.
microbiologist or virologist physiologist member of the CDC, and Incident Commander.
In the rare case that there are 5 members to a team, the role of the physiologist can be shared.
Your team will present on three aspects of the disease outbreak: inherency, impact, and solvency. INHERENCY: What is the inherent nature of the problem? - to be presented by the microbiologist/virologist and physiologist, your jobs are to be experts in the science behind the disease outbreak. You will need to know your organism or virus, and be able to explain the physiological effects on the body. The microbiologist or virologist will focus on the etiology and clinical manifestations, while the physiologist will focus on the cause of the clinical manifestations and the role that the immune/lymphatic systems may play in the clinical manifestations. IMPACT: How has this disease affected society in the past? What was the disease’s epidemiology (patterns, effects, causes) in defined populations and what impact did it have on these populations? What have we learned from past resolutions? What is the current danger to society if nothing is done? - to be presented by the member of the CDC, you will need to understand the advantages and/or disadvantages of the geographic location of the outbreak in order to effectively understand the magnitude of the danger. You will need to be knowledgeable about the disease patterns, such as patterns of increases or decreases of incidence, number of cases prior, what population(s) have been affected, etc. You will need to use what we have learned from the past in controlling this outbreak and apply it to the situation at hand. You must have a thorough understanding of treatment, cures, or preventative control methods that can be used to fight this disease. SOLVENCY: What can we do now to contain the disease and control the epidemic? - to be presented by the Incident Commander, your job is to set up a chain of command to control the current outbreak. You will lay out a plan for your city and get the situation under control. In your plan, you must choose one of these options: 1. Do nothing and allow the disease to run its course. 2. Contain the disease to stop transmission. 3. Eliminate and eradicate the disease by all means possible.
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School
Grading: Your project will be graded based on an individual as well as a group component. Individual Component of Project: Disease Research: (100 points) Each member of your group must be knowledgeable about the disease to which you are assigned. You will be given guiding questions to help you with the research; but, you are not limited to these questions. Your research notes may be handwritten or typed in Cornell note format. Write the research questions on the left hand side with the answers/research information on the right side. Number the research questions as you go. As you record information, notate your sources so that you can complete a works-cited page. Research turned in without a works-cited will not be given credit. MLA guidelines must be followed. Group Components of Project: As an epidemiology team, your team must be responsible for creating your plan for controlling the epidemic. Your plan must be realistic. Consider all you know about the location of your outbreak, the etiology and infection methods of the organism, the danger it poses to public health, the death rate, the treatment options, what has been done in the past that worked or didn’t work, etc. Do not forget to consider social issues. Will there be citizen displeasure? Panic? Does the city or governing body have the man-power or funds to execute your plan? Will citizens need to be evacuated? Quarantined? If so, how would you accommodate the citizens? How would you quarantine or enforce this? There is no such thing as the “perfect” plan. What can go wrong? Think about the flaws in your plan and be prepared to justify these risks or what you’ll do to offset them, as your assessors may ask about them. As part of this plan, you will need to use appropriate technology to create and present the following products: Product #1: Map of the area (40 points) Find an appropriate map or series of maps to overlay information. This map will help your team with your epidemiology plan. First, provide the following BASIC information as an accompaniment. -
What is the size of your city, cities, or state in square miles? What is the population of your city or cities? List the main highways that serve as major routes for your city, cities, or state: What airports are in your city, cities, or state? What major hospitals are in your city, cities, or state? What areas might be used to set up command posts or evacuation centers? (if needed)
Once your team has finalized your plan for controlling the disease outbreak, add specifics by electronically marking, circling, and highlighting the map with crucial command posts, areas, routes, etc. Portions of your map will need to be electronically inserted as part of your media presentation, so your team can refer to it during the speech presentation. Product #2: Chain of Command (80 points) What public agencies will need to be involved in your response plan? List the positions of individuals within these agencies that you think will play a key role in your response plan, and what they would be responsible for in your plan. Show this in some kind of table or other type of graphic organizer. Determine, through researching real-life responses to past emergencies, the order of command: who is in charge after the Incident Commander, and how the logistical organization would work. Show this as a flow chart.
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School
Product #3: Chain of Events (80 points) Create a chain of events that you think will have to happen to solve this problem. Be sure to include time frames… minutes, hours, days. Consider locations in your city/area that would be involved and who, from your chain of command, will be involved. Be specific. What exactly is the plan?? ** A final draft of products 1 – 3 must be turned in, bound in a presentation folder for your community evaluators to reference during your speech. Your teacher will randomly spot check your team on the progress of your plan during Monday project days in class. Product #4: Presentation speech/Presentation Media (300 points) Each member of your group will take on a role as an expert and present on different aspects of the disease outbreak to a panel of experts. Be knowledgeable in your speech, explain and relay ideas clearly, without spewing out jargon. Your group speech must start with 1. a brief overview of the scenario and your thesis (solvency plan to either contain, eliminate, or do nothing). Then, 2. present on all three aspects of the outbreak, addressing inherency, impact, and detailed solvency plan. Spend about 4 – 5 minutes on each aspect. Your presentation will be at least 12 minutes, but no longer than 15 minutes. * A draft of the master speech will be turned in. This is the combined speech from all the members. This speech should read as if it is being given by a single person, without repetition of information, and should have proper flow and timing. Information should build upon each other. Elect a person or persons in your group that have the talent for final editing and making sure that the combined speech is well-written. 3. Use appropriate technology to present your team’s action plan to the PCDC. This should only be done AFTER your team’s master speech has been created. You may use one of two platforms: a Powerpoint presentation, or Prezi. If you choose to explore the Prezi, make sure your presentation isn’t “dizzy.” a) Use affective and appropriate images for your presentations. b) Keep the information on the Powerpoint or Prezi presentation succinct and brief. - Bullet main points as an outline for your speech only! You will be expanding on the information verbally. Absolutely no sentences! c) Choose graphics appropriately. Think about: - your “audience” - image quality and pixilation when it is magnified on screen. - the purpose. Consider, during your presentation, labeling, circling, or pointing-to the images during your presentation, to draw attention to the details in the images that you are highlighting. d) A graphic, depicting a map of your area with proper markings of major routes, command posts, evacuation areas, etc., is mandatory. You will need to refer to this map during the presentation of your actual plan. * a draft of this presentation media will be required by your group.
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School
REMEMBER: Be prepared for detailed questioning by the panel. You need to know approximately three times more than you present. Make sure that you know your material and your disease like the back of your hand ** Your teacher will determine if your group is “fit” to present to the panel of experts, based on the quality of your rough drafts and the dry run of your presentation. Make sure that your group is working together. Be respectful of each other and pull your own weight, so as to not leave any member frustrated with the bulk of the work load. Your President is counting on You! Good Luck!
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School
Disease Project Research Questions 1. What is the scientific and common name of the organism/pathogen causing the disease or illness? If the organism causes a specific “disease” what is the name of the disease? (This may be the same or different from the name of the organism.) 2. What kind of organism/pathogen causes the disease? (for example, is it a virus, bacteria, parasite, protist, other?) 3. Describe how the organism/pathogen is classified. Consider its etiology: a. What species, genus, or family is it in and why? (what is the basis for the classification?) b. What is the organism’s structure? (If bacterial, don’t forget to explain gram classification/cell wall) c. Genetics (DNA, RNA, both?) d. Does the organism’s structure influence its infection mechanism? e. Organism’s nutritional or survival requirements? f. Organism’s replication methods? g. Describe other noteworthy important/unique characteristics of the organism not previously described. 4. How is the disease or pathogen transmitted or spread? For example, is it spread by a vector? If so, what is the vector and describe how the vector transmits the contagion. Is it spread from person to person? If so, how? What human behaviors cause or increase the spread? Is it spread from animal to a human? If so, how? What human or animal behaviors cause the spread? Is the contagion spread to humans through a nonliving substance, for example: air or water? Is there a reservoir? 5. What conditions increase the rate of transmission or spread? 6. What are the clinical manifestations (symptoms) and progression of the disease? Target organs? How are they affected? In simplistic terms, the “how” and “when” of the symptoms. 7. Explain the reasons for these clinical symptoms. Why do you see the symptoms that you see? a. Is the immune or lymphatic system involved in the manifestation of these symptoms? As the immune/lymphatic system is fighting the organism or pathogen, does this cause some of the symptoms? If so, how? b. What basis is there for damage caused at the cellular, tissue, or organ level? Are the cells/tissues dying, if so, why? Are they lysing? Is there a toxin involved? Is the organism’s replication method causing the symptoms? In simplistic terms, the “why” of the symptoms. 8. How dangerous is it? a. Is it lethal? If so, what is the mortality rate? b. How long does it take for a person to die? c. Under what circumstances does the disease cause death? d. How long is the “incubation” period? e. When is the disease most contagious? 9. How is a diagnosis made?
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School 10. Treatment? a. Are antibiotics effective (bacterial)? If so, what kind? Name them. How do the antibiotics work? b. What medications can be given for relief of pain and symptoms? What do they do? How effective are these meds? Are there any antiviral meds that can be used for viral infections? Medications to boost the immune system? 11. Can the disease be prevented? a. Are there vaccines available? If so, find out the names of these vaccines. If vaccines are available for prevention, how do these vaccines help prevent the disease? Are the vaccines effective? b. Can lifestyle changes help prevent the disease? If so, what changes? c. Can changes in hygiene help prevent the spread? If so, what hygiene changes? 12. If a person recovers from the disease, can they get this disease again or are they immune? Why or why not? 13. Who is most prone or at risk in getting this disease? Does it have to do with geographic location, lifestyle, age, pre-existing medical conditions, or sanitation? 14. Name two to three scientists who played an important role in the understanding of the disease or developing ways to fight the disease. What role did they play in understanding the disease? 15. What is the historical impact of this disease? Try to find at least two different cases, if not more. Note that these historical events can be a source of information to guide your solution to the epidemic. Consider the following questions. a. Where did this disease occur before and why? b. What impact did it have on the population(s) at that time? c. What were the numbers of people affected? Why did it affect that many people? d. Was there treatment or no treatment available in these cases and how did it affect mortality or survivability? e. What conditions promoted or prevented the spread of the illness in these historical cases? f. How fast did the disease spread at that time? g. What knowledge did we gain about the pathogen? What did we learn from these cases? **(in rare cases where there is no historical precedent for your pathogen or disease – it is a new or emerging disease, for example – answer the above questions using similar organisms or perhaps historical outbreaks of organisms in the same genus or family with similar the methods of infection.) 16. Research a government chain of command in a prior major outbreak of your disease. Describe what was done in this outbreak. As in question 15, if a government chain of command for your specific disease cannot be found, find one for another disease that may be similar. This will give you some idea of how to proceed with your own epidemiology plan.
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
Presidential Commission on Disease Control Medical Technology Project Foothill Technology High School
17. Research your city, cities, or state where the outbreak has occurred: a. What is the size of the area(s) where the outbreak occurs in square miles? b. What is the population of the outbreak area(s)? c. List the main highways that serve as major routes for your area. d. What airports are in your area(s)? e. What major hospitals are in your area(s)? f. What places might be used to set up command posts or evacuation centers? (if needed) – think about universities, schools, sports arenas, parks, etc. g. What public agencies are found in your area(s)? Who or what agencies are responsible for public health in that area(s)? If possible, try to find their protocol for infectious disease outbreaks. h. Based on your knowledge of your outbreak location(s), consider the practical aspect(s) of your area: would massive-scale evacuation be feasible or practical? Would isolated small-scale evacuation be feasible or practical? Would it be best to isolate and quarantine people instead? * Do not limit yourself to these questions. You may want to add more information as you find things out in your own research. This is only a jumping off point. It is HIGHLY recommended that you interview or talk with someone from Ventura County Public Health. They may be able to give you valuable insight into your own team’s plan for controlling the outbreak.
100 Day Road
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 289-0023
Fax: (805) 289-0029
