Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

This document provides teachers with curricula for a unit on infectious diseases. Students learn about a number of infectious diseases currently in the world as well as how these diseases propagate in humans. Students also learn about how to curb the spread of these diseases.

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

This group of lessons is designed for high school science students and focuses on infectious, contagious diseases. The site provides online documents of all the lesson materials. Some of the lessons include learning statistics about infectious diseases and role-playing as epidemiologists.

Introducing the Pathogens

In this program we explore the characteristics of the five major groups of pathogenic organisms, the progress of scientific research and the technology used in understanding these organisms and how to combat the diseases they cause. We study how pathogens have altered the course of human history and how they still pose a threat to human health and survival. We also see why some infectious diseases are still major causes of death in developing countries.

Tuberculosis: Out of Control Again

This article describes the symptoms and effects of the highly infectious disease, tuberculosis, as well as the story of tuberculosis's return as a serious health problem, which doctors and researchers are trying to deal with. The article discusses tuberculosis's ability to develop a resistance to certain treatments and scientists' attempts to combat this.

Tuberculosis History: Age of Optimism

This page describes the history of tuberculosis research and treatment development. The description follows the work and research of the 19th century, German medical scientist, Robert Koch and his development of a vaccination for TB.

Antimicrobial (Drug) Resistance

This page provides links to pages with information on the facts and research about antimicrobial (drug) resistance. The site offers information on the research that scientists are conducting to discover the reasons why microbes develop resistances and how those resistances can be prevented or treated.

Tackling Disease Together

This video provides information on how medical researchers work together, across the globe to fight communicable and infectious diseases, and how other factors, economic and political can have huge effects on their research.

Puzzling Infectious Proteins

This article describes the research that has led many scientists and researchers to the conclusion that proteins can be infectious and can be the means by which certain diseases are passed on from one individual to another. The article explains the connection to prion diseases, as well as the research that has led to these discoveries.