John K. Laub
-
From SARS to avian flu to the current escalating outbreaks of swine influenza
-
(H1N1), it has become increasingly clear that we are risking a major
-
catastrophe unless we act to restore the safety net.
-
-- Deborah Burger, the co-president of the California Nurses
-
Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.
1
-
These are, in effect, 47 million "Typhoid Marys" of the next pandemic--at risk
-
themselves and to their families and neighbors.
-
-- Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness
-
at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
2
Infectious diseases have occurred without warning throughout history and millions of people have lost their lives because of these epidemics and pandemics. As the nineteenth century came to a close, scientists, with assistance from government funding and private philanthropy in Europe and the United States, had investigated viruses and bacteria and conducted scientific research in order to better help society combat disease. Despite the many advances, scientists and the federal government have not always been able to stop an infectious disease from devastating its fellow citizens during the twentieth century. In 1900, the Barbary Plague attacked Victorian San Francisco, CA, and the public health system needed to find the source of the plague and stop its spread among the citizenry. By the close of World War I, a deadly strain of influenza virus surfaced in Haskell County, Kansas, and when it concluded its advance, over 100 million people lay dead in its tsunami-like wake. In the early 1980s, homosexual communities and drug users across America were first infected with HIV, and eventually, the virus extended beyond the aforementioned districts. By 2007, over half a million Americans had died from HIV/AIDS from all socio-economic, racial, religious and gender backgrounds. This unit will explore the various efforts made by social institutions to combat epidemics and infectious diseases during the twentieth century. It will also require students to answer several essential questions, analyze primary sources to illustrate how Americans, the federal government and religious leaders reacted to epidemics in the United States.
This unit will be guided by several essential questions:
-
How do infectious diseases arise and spread?
|
What is the role of the United States government in protecting citizens against
|
|
epidemics?
|
|
How has the federal government confronted the possibility of infectious diseases
|
devastating Americans?
|
|
What is the mission of the United States Public Health Service (PHS) and the
|
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)?
|
-
How are these two organizations funded?
-
How did these institutes combat infectious diseases during the twentieth
-
____
____
century?
|
During an epidemic, who takes responsibility of protecting a diverse population
|
|
that may resist assistance or not trust federal officials?
|
-
How does the individual react to infectious diseases?
For a list of the city-wide curriculum standards in science and social studies in New Haven, please review Appendix A at the end of the unit plan.
As the recent H1N1 flu virus illustrates, the menace of a world-wide pandemic in our global economy is clearly a threat. Global trade and travel allow viruses to spread at an unprecedented rate in history. In three months, H1N1 has proliferated across the globe and has killed people everywhere.
In the United States, there are nearly 47 million Americans without health care and at risk for being exposed to the virus without the ability to pay for a vaccination. How would uninsured Americans become vaccinated for the virus? Would the American health care system be able to assist so many uninsured citizens? Who would pay for the vaccinations and care for the sick and dying? By the end of the unit, students will be able to take a position and support it with historical evidence on the federal government's role in protecting its citizens.
