Ebola virus disease (EVD), formally known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, has been causing worldwide concern as it infects people in countries out of West Africa, including the United States. Newspapers around the world have made the epidemic front page news and top headlines, and global health experts, such as the CDC, have declared the 2014 Ebola epidemic as the largest in history.
The World Health Organization said EVD has a fatality rate of of up to 90 percent, and that the virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spread from human to human. Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus is transmitted through close contact with blood, secretions, organs and other parts of infected animals.
EVD is a severe illness that starts with a sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and both external and internal bleeding. As of now, there is no reported vaccine for the virus.
So far, more than 3,000 people have died so far from the Ebola virus, according to an article in The New York Times. The article also states that experts believe that up to 1.4 million will be effected before the epidemic under control.
Now that the United States saw its first patient develop symptoms in Texas and later die, teachers may be concerned about how to effectively teach about Ebola in the classroom.
Student discussion questions:
Updated 10/8/2014: Provided by The New York Times in its article, "Learning from Disaster: Exploring the Ebola Epidemic," teachers can refer to a number of lesson plans, videos, and other ideas provided by the world's leading publication.
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
Best Instructional Videos: Pandemics Throughout History
Lesson: Epidemics, Vaccines and Prevention
One Massachusetts educator Storified his Twitter-based Ebola inquiry lesson.
The Council on Foreign Relations website
The World Health Organization website
Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
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