Charting animal- and insect-borne diseases

 

Overview: Worldwide, animals and insects are primary carriers of human illnesses. Transmission rates of and the types of prevention and treatment for these "zoonotic" and "vector-borne" diseases vary. After learning about mosquito-borne illnesses, students will identify other animal- and insect-transmitted diseases that affect humans across the globe.

Curriculum connections: Health, Social studies-geography, Science-biology, zoology

RESOURCES From Riverdeep: Tracking the West Nile Virus

Objectives
Students will:

• Describe animal- and insect-borne diseases around the world.
• Chart international hot spots of animal- and insect-related illnesses.

Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
Health, Standard 2, grades 6-12
Student knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health.

Standard 8: Student knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease.

Science Standard 6: Students understand relationships among organisms and their physical environment.

Geography Standard 1: Students understand the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic tools and technologies.

Materials
CNNfyi.com article "Mosquitoes harbor more than West Nile"
Internet access
Push pins
Reproducible world map
Wall-sized world map
Construction paper or small round stickers
Magic markers or colored pencils
Journals, books, encyclopedias, organizational information on "zoonotic" and "vector-borne" diseases

Suggested time
Article and questions only-20 minutes
Full lesson plan-two classroom periods

Procedures
1) Have students brainstorm and list diseases that come from animals and insects and then broadly discuss how humans get these diseases.
2) Direct students to read the CNNfyi article "Mosquitoes harbor more than West Nile"and then respond to the following questions:

• What is the West Nile Virus? How is it transmitted? What does it cause? What are the virus' symptoms? How many people have died from the virus since 1999? What is the likelihood of getting the West Nile virus?

• What other diseases do mosquitoes carry? Briefly describe each one. Where are these diseases most likely to surface? Why do you think people in these nations are at greater risk for getting or dying from mosquito-borne illnesses?

• What is the best way to avoid getting the West Nile virus? Do you think such preventive measures can combat illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever? Discuss.

• Species that carries the virus
• Virus's origins and symptoms
• Factors that contribute to the virus's growth and transmission (climate, food, water, hygiene, lack of medical treatment, etc.)
• Where the virus is most prevalent in the world
• Number of people that are infected by and/or die from the disease
• What is being done to prevent transmission and treat the disease
• Reasons the disease continues to exist

Assessment
Have each group create a booklet that reports on its disease and includes graphs and maps highlighting populations affected, rates of death, and regions of the world most affected by this disease. Instruct students to review each group's booklet and then, as a class, discuss similarities and differences among the highlighted diseases.

Have each group create an icon that represents its disease and carrier (and can be attached to the top of a push pin). On a wall-sized world map, instruct groups to place their icons on areas representing disease "hot spots." Direct students to analyze the map to determine and discuss reasons certain illnesses are more prevalent in certain areas of the world than others.

Accommodations
Visual/Spatial
Students can create a cartoon or comic strip for young children that pictorially explains the origin, transmission and treatment of an animal- or insect-borne illness.

Challenge
Point out that the discovery of a new, rare or reemerging illness tends to result in extensive media coverage. Invite students to research media coverage of a disease, such as HIV/AIDS, the West Nile virus and the Ebola virus. Instruct students to sequentially compile articles, etc., into a scrapbook to document how information about the illness has evolved. Has the coverage educated or frightened the public? How has the scope of information changed as knowledge about the disease progresses?