Humans were affected by disease long before any written records were kept. Some prehistoric cultures developed a rich store of knowledge about illnesses that affected their people and primitive treatments to alleviate symptoms. This knowledge was often passed from one generation to the next orally. Today, there is an incredible array of diagnostic tools, treatments, and knowledge available to healthcare providers and patients. Communication flows almost instantaneously across the globe, connecting researchers and physicians in a worldwide network that promotes awareness, prevention, and treatment of disease in a way that never existed before. Why, then, does disease continue to be part of human life? As world population increases, more people are confined to smaller areas. This overcrowding, particularly in large cities, can lead to poor sanitation and more rapid spread of disease. Increases in the human population can cause changes in insect populations and can increase our exposure to insects that carry certain diseases. Food-borne illnesses are still causing problems in most of the world. And as worldwide travel increases, the spread of disease from continent to continent becomes unavoidable. Finally, some diseases cannot be treated or cured because the pathogens continually mutate and are resistant to conventional medicines.

In this activity, you will research a newly identified or re-emerging disease. You will create a television advertisement, radio announcement, poster, or pamphlet as part of a public education campaign designed to teach people about the disease.

OBJECTIVES

Gather information about a particular emerging or reemerging disease.

Summarize key facts about a disease, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Create a television advertisement, radio announcement, billboard, poster or pamphlet to educate the public about a disease.

PROCEDURE

1. You will research a disease that affects humans. The disease you are assigned might be a new, or emerging disease, or a reemerging disease that is once again a public health problem.

2. Use a variety of research materials to learn about the disease. Record your findings in Table 1. List all sources.

TABLE 1: Disease Information

3. The goal of a public advertising campaign is to educate citizens about a particular topic. People are reached through methods that include television advertisements, radio announcements, billboards, and social media. It is important to provide information without creating fear or panic. Which method (or combination of methods) do you feel like would be the most effective in educating the public and why?

Analysis

1. How difficult was it to find information about the disease? Cite the sources of information that were most helpful to you.

2. In what parts of the world is this disease most prevalent? Based on your research, how great a threat does this disease pose to citizens of the US? 

Conclusions

3. From what you learned, who should be your target audience, and how important do you think it is to educate them about this disease? Why? What would be the best way to reach them?

4. Based on your research, make a prediction about the status of this disease in the next five years. What are the chances that it might spread beyond the areas in which it is now located? Can preventive measures, if used effectively, keep the disease under control or even eradicate it? Are there any new treatment options on the horizon?

5. Why do you think a variety of ways are used to present information in a public education campaign? What would get a message through to you personally?