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Unit 5: Protection and Control Disease Progression and Protection

Dr. Lovestrange or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Plague
Activity: Plague Inc/Infection (Created by Brady Mymko)
What are we going to do today?

The world is a wonderful and dangerous place. Today we will explore the mechanisms of
infectious disease and how they relate to the different systems of the body we have studied in
class. We will learn the modes of transmission so students can describe how to protect
themselves and society. Why? (Because we do not want a future like the Walking Dead,
Contagion, or World War Z).

The focus of the activity is NOT ending life on Earth. We are here to figure out ways to prevent
this from happening as the simulation takes place! This is a worst case scenario to understand
how personal health choices, government decisions, and the World Health Organization can act
in concert to provide a safe and healthy world.

Questions to think about: At each stage of the pathogens evolution, how could people protect
themselves from the disease? What happens if we do not act fast enough?

How to get started?

Partner up, each can open the Plague Inc App (android) or Infection App (iOS).
Login, eg: Google Play Games e-mail address
How to play? Students will select new game, select bacteria, and groups will roll the dice
for their specific disease name and starting location (Optional: allow students to choose
their own appropriate name and discuss starting location, have them check with the
teacher first)
Management: Have one student have the main simulation running, have the other student
have a second simulation open to read the different variables such as transmission,
symptoms, and abilities.
Students will follow the handout to discuss the major factors involved in infection,
prevention, protection, and control.
Learners will be able investigate and describe the issues related to the immune system
and public health. This can involve immunization policies, travel bans and advisories,
epidemics
Note:

Epidemiology is the study of the causes, effects, and patterns of health and disease within a population. This allows
for the determination of risk factors for disease and the preventative measures that can be taken. Research plays a
significant role in public health to shape decision making and evidence-based practice (Porta, 2014).

Fun Fact: He did know something (Not the guy from Game of Thrones!)

John Snow was considered one of the creators of modern epidemiology. He was an English physician from the
1800s that became a leader in medical hygiene. His research mapping the source of a cholera outbreak in London,
1854, would lead to changes in the way water and waste would be managed in London. This idea would spread to
other cities, vastly improving public health around the world (Hempel, 2006).
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References

Hempel, S. (2006). The Medical Detective: John Snow, Cholera, and the Mystery of the Broad
Street Pump. Granta Books. ISBN 1862078424

Ndemic Creations & Miniclip. (2016). Plague inc. (Version 1.12) [Mobile application software].
Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store?hl=en

Porta, M. (2014). A Dictionary of Epidemiology (6th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-19-997673-7.
Name: Class: Date:
Handout: Disease Progression and Protection

Disease Name: Patient Zero Location: Date of Infection:

Think-pair-share: In partners, discuss the strategy you will use. Give reasoning and explanations
for your findings.

Now that we have started, read through the questions, answer, predict, and check back to see
what you have missed as the simulation progresses.
1) Click the bottom left of the main screen on Disease. Select the Transmission bar at the
top. Read the different possible options and number/list them from most dangerous to
least dangerous to public health. Discuss with your partner and provide your reasoning
beside each. (Take into account your starting location) Give examples of prevention.

2) Select the Symptoms heading from the Disease bar. Read the different possible options.
Number/list the symptoms from most dangerous to least dangerous for public health.
Discuss with your partner and provide your reasoning beside each. List the body
system(s) that are involved with the symptom. Give examples of prevention.
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3) Select the Abilities tab from the Disease bar. Read the list of possible abilities.
Number/list the abilities that make the disease the most to least threatening to
human/public health. Provide your reasoning. Give examples of prevention.

4) What measures can individual people, national governments, and the international World
Health Organization take to prevent the transmission of disease? (List them) How can
they help to treat disease? (Add to your list as the game progresses. Click on countries to
see what measures have taken place)**
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5) Map out the general progression of your disease in point form. (Include the dates when
events occurred from the top right of the main screen if necessary).
Eg: Mutation-> Cough Prediction: What will happen? Result: What happened? (Increased
infection rate)

6) Were any countries not infected by the disease? Why do you think that might be? (Eg:
Healthcare, weather, geography, population, not Bieber fans)

7) Click on various countries, then click the country name at the bottom. (select the I in the
top left corner for more information). What have they done to prevent infection? (See
right side of individual countries screen) Refer back to your list for question 4 and add
important measures taken.** Eg: Close airports

8) Were any pop up news articles of importance to the prevention of the disease? List them.
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9) Class discussion and presentations: Prepare the major points for class discussion. How do
we protect ourselves from disease at the individual level, national level, and international
level? (See question 4, add the answers you missed)

10) Reflect and summarize the outcomes of your simulation. What have you learned from
this activity about disease transmission, prevention, protection and control of public
health?