Outbreak Investigation Lesson Plans
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Outbreak investigations involve strategic epidemiologic thinking and various methods of science to systematically solve cases of disease.
An outbreak investigation includes the following steps:
- 1. Prepare for fieldwork
- 2. Establish existence of an outbreak
- 3. Verify the diagnosis
- 4. Construct a working case definition
- 5. Find cases systematically and record information
- 6. Perform descriptive epidemiology
- 7. Develop hypotheses
- 8. Evaluate hypotheses epidemiologically
- 9. Reconsider, refine, and re-evaluate hypotheses (as necessary)
- 10. Compare and reconcile with laboratory and environmental students
- 11. Implement control and prevention measures
- 12. Initiate or maintain surveillance
- 13. Communicate findings
In practice, epidemiologists may perform several steps at the same time, or the circumstances of the outbreak may dictate they follow a different order. (Source: Principles of Epidemiology, 3rd Edition.)
These lesson plans engage middle- and high- school students as disease detectives using scientific methods to conduct an outbreak investigation.
Learning objectives:
- Compare and contrast various types of data sets by examining the capacity of epidemiologic study designs (e.g. cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, and randomized controlled trial)
- Analyze and interpret data from and plan and conduct an observational study to collect data
- Use algebraic thinking to examine scientific data to identify the association between the public health impact due to an unintentional exposure of a group compared to a group that is not exposed
- Analyze data from an experimental model or study (e.g., clinical trial) using algebraic thinking to identify the public health impact due to an intentional exposure of a group compared to a group that is not exposed
- Make and defend a claim about causality based on empirical evidence, consideration of the five explanations for an association, and a critique of the body of evidence according to Bradford Hill’s Criteria for Causality and other disciplines
Lesson Plans
Ebola
High school lesson plan topics – Ebola
Something Wicked This Way Comes: The 2014 Ebola Response [PDF – 40 pages]
The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the first in history. Not only has this epidemic been unprecedented, but so has the public health response. In this lesson, students use information from the initial Ebola outbreak to justify each step of an outbreak investigation. Students then identify strategies to implement a public health response infrastructure that allows for effective management of national and international partnerships, allocation of personnel and resources, sharing of data, and the creation of a unified front against Ebola. The target grade level for this case study is an upper middle school to high school audience.
Enterovirus D-68
High school lesson plan topics – Enterovirus
No Cure for the Summertime Blues: Enterovirus D68 Case Study [PDF – 39 pages] | [XLS – 18KB]
In this case study, students will analyze data and information about the outbreak as if it were happening in real time. They will use this information to make decisions about how to effectively monitor and respond to an enterovirus D-69 (EV-D68) outbreak. Students will classify increases in numbers of persons with EV-D68 as a cluster, outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic to help justify planning decisions for conducting a field investigation. Students will apply a case definition to collect data needed to characterize an outbreak by using correct graphs and tables. Oral and written communication skills will be used to communicate findings to the public. Note: Excel data for the case study is available at: (include excel document here).
Radon/Lung Cancer
High school lesson plan topics – Radon/Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer at Peachstate Community Center [PDF – 44 pages]
Students use epidemiology to investigate a potential lung cancer cluster. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health conditions among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. Students apply descriptive epidemiology to describe the occurrence by person, place, time, and exposure to risk factors. Using data collected through in-person interviews of lung cancer patients, students then apply analytic epidemiology to evaluate the cluster using statistical approaches. They use evidence to determine if there was an increase in cases compared to what was expected and how to establish a causal link between exposure and disease (i.e., that the exposure was the cause of the disease). Students will discover the importance of community relationships in making decisions and apply it by creating a multifaceted public service announcement.
Zoonotic Disease
Middle School Lesson Plans – Healthy Pets, Healthy People
Pets and People [PDF – 26 pages]
This lesson is designed for 6th-8th grade students to explore the health benefits and risks involved in pet ownership and interaction. Zoonoses will be introduced, and students will examine the safety of their interactions with household pets.
What is Wrong with My Pet? — An Introduction to Zoonoses [PDF – 20 pages]
This lesson is designed for 6th–8th grade life science students and focuses on the transmission of diseases between animals and humans. Ringworm and roundworm will be used as examples of zoonoses (infectious diseases that are transmitted to humans by animals). Students will be assigned specific roles within a group and complete research to identify the organism causing disease, how the disease presents in humans, treatment, and presentation strategies. Through an interview style presentation, students will communicate what they have learned with the class. This lesson integrates science research and uses language arts, drama, and art to apply research to a real life situation.
Middle School, High School – Zoonotic Disease
This lesson plan uses information from an epidemiologic outbreak to teach concepts concerning zoonotic disease. Students gain skills in epidemiologic thinking, identifying cause and effect associations related to health and disease, data analysis, and how to use data to justify decision making. Students develop a working definition for zoonotic disease. Then, students evaluate a case study on the basis of real events in a 2014 outbreak of human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry in the United States. They use data to create a geographic spot map to identify epidemiologic patterns, identify strategies to collect data using questionnaires, and design prevention materials using CDC’s One Health methodologies as a guide. This case study is intended for middle school students in grades 6–12.
High School Lesson Plans – Zoonotic Disease
Students will participate in a case control study to explore concepts of disease transmission, design an epidemic curve, and calculate frequency and odds ratios. Students will develop an epidemiological and public health science vocabulary and will apply those terms to a modified version of an outbreak scenario. Students will demonstrate and model epidemiological methodologies to determine a cause of the Salmonella outbreak. This case control study is intended for students in grades 9–12.
- Page last reviewed: June 2, 2017
- Page last updated: June 2, 2017
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