How do epidemics get started



Middle School Outbreak! Simulated disease transmission

The purpose of today’s activity is for you to act out the spread of an infectious disease (such as the mononucleosis virus) throughout a population. The population will be this classroom. In this population one person will start out with the infection. The infection will spread by the exchange of body fluids (such as salvia on a cup that you share with a friend). You will act out the exchange of body fluids with three people in this classroom. We will be using a clear liquid in a tube labeled BF for Body Fluid. The clear liquid does not contain body fluid; this is the simulation part of the activity. DO NOT ingest any of the materials in this activity!

Questions to think about:

• What can cause a disease?

• How can disease spread?

• What are some examples of diseases?

• How does your body fight diseases?

• What are antibodies? What are antigens?

• How do vaccines work?

Materials you will need for the activity:

• 1.5 ml tube with 1 ml of body fluid

• transfer pipette

• marker

• infection detection solution

Sharing Body Fluids Procedure:

Be sure to choose students from all over the class, and not just in your immediate area. Wait for the signal before each body fluid exchange.

1. With a marker write you name or initials on the lid of the tube containing body fluids.

2. Find a person that you will share body fluids with and pipette one transfer pipette full of your liquid into their tube while they pipette one transfer pipette full of their liquid into your tube. This should be approximately half of your body fluids in the tube. Close the tube and shake a little to mix. You have successfully shared body fluids.

3. Go back to your table and record whose body fluids you shared.

4. For your second share repeat steps 2 and 3 with another individual.

5. Go back to your table and record whose body fluids you shared.

6. For your third share repeat steps 2 and 3.

7. Go back to your table and record whose body fluids you shared.

8. Go to the board and record whose body fluids you shared in the order that you shared.

Record of Sample Sharing

|Your name | |

|First student shared with | |

|Second student shared with | |

|Third student shared with | |

Analysis of body fluid: Do you have the infection?

Add the infection detection solution to your body fluid tube.

• What happened when the infection detection solution was added?

• Does this mean you have the infection? How does that make you feel?

Epidemiology of the disease: where did it start?

Record the results of your test on the board.

• How many people in the population (the classroom) have the infection?

• Who do you think gave you the infection?

• Look at the class data and determine who started the infection.

• Why is determining how a disease spreads important?

• How can you protect your self from an infection such as mononucleosis?

• Can you protect yourself in the same way against all diseases?

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