Use the links right hand column to find information about pathogens.
PUBLIC HEALTH PRESENTATION
Imagine you are an epidemiologist working for a Canadian health organization. You are responsible for informing the public about how particular viruses/organisms affect humans around the world.
Creat a presentation describing a virus or organism and its effects on the human body. Do not use scientific terms or jargon that the public will not understand. Make a poster, brochure or powerpoint as a visual aid for your presentation.
Name your health organization in your presentation.
Describe the virus or organism:
- What is the name of the virus or organism and what disease does it cause?
- What is the taxonomy of the virus or organism? (kingdom, phylum and species)
- How many people does the virus/organism affect on a yearly basis?
- Where in the world and in what situations are people most affected?
- What is the history of the virus/organism?
Describe the life cycle of the virus or organism:
- How does the virus or organism infect people? Is there a vector?
- How is the virus or organism spread through the body? What organs and/or systems are affected?
- How does the virus/organism affect the body? (symptoms)
Describe preventative measures to be taken:
- How can the public protect themselves against this virus or organism?
- Are there treatments or cures for this virus or organism?
You must use at least two sources of information. Use the "Citation Centre" link in the left column of this page to help you create a bibliography to cite your sources of information.
To complete your assignment, you may choose one of the following to research:
- Viruses: varicella zoster (chicken pox), West Nile, measels, HIV, polio, ebola
- Bacteria: E.coli (0147:H7), slmonella, clostridium botulinum, strep throat, flesh-eating disease, tuberculosis, syphilis
- Protists: African sleeping sickness, malaria, ameobic dysentery, paralytic shell-fish poisoning
- Fungi: ahtlete's foot (ringworm), water mold, crytosporidium (cryptococcus), death cap mushroom
- Animalia: Portugese man o' war, box jellyfish, schistosoma, tapeworm, ascaris (round worm), hookworm, trichinosis, elephantiasis, river blindness (eyeworm)
