Fall SAVY 2017, Day 1 – Disease Detectives: How Scientists Prevent Big Problems (3rd/4th)

Posted by hallep on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 in Grade 3, Grade 4, SAVY.

This weekend we accomplished a lot during our first session of Disease Detectives. We dove right into what goes into the mind of a disease detective with the historic 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic. We discussed the influenza virus, what symptoms patients of this infectious disease suffer through, and how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Key terms for this week’s session included: basic reproduction number (R0), vulnerable/susceptible populations, host, herd immunity, etc. We ended our discussion with the topic of vaccinations. To tie in current events, we brought up the upcoming flu season, and how we as a community prepare for it. The importance of vaccinations and why everyone cannot get vaccinations was also discussed. Students ended the day creating their own public service announcement flyers on why everyone should get the flu shot! Next week’s class will involve another infectious disease- but this time we’ll be analyzing environmental factors and their influence on the spread of disease! See you then!

 Sujata