Throughout history technology has made advances that have enhanced the quality of life for some humans, especially children. Many infectious diseases that once had a high mortality rate are now non-existent; for example, small pox, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. Today vaccines are used to prevent diseases.
Families until recently did not have nearly as routine access to doctors or medicine as they often have now in our society. Even with all of the technology available there is still a need to educate people on illnesses that affect us today. One of the most prevalent illnesses affecting millions of people is asthma. Five million children in the U.S. have asthma. The unit will discuss (a) what asthma is and who it affects, (b) discuss the drug delivery systems for treating asthma and (c) how asthma affects the respiratory/circulatory systems with the use of medicine.
(Developed for Life Science and Environmental Science, grade 5; recommended for Life Science and Environmental Science, grades 4-6, and School Health, grades 5-6)
