Download Aviflu Teacher Notes

Associated Teachers’ TV programme
KS3/4 Science: Demonstrating Biology - Aviflu
Information for Teachers About Aviflu
Aviflu can be found at http://www.upd8.org.uk/activity/165/AviFlu-is-coming.html.
An Aviflu PDF file can be found in the resources section of KS3/4 Science:
Demonstrating Biology – Aviflu, which is referred to in this document.
AviFlu is coming!
As bird flu approaches Britain, people are getting worried. Will there be a
pandemic? Will millions be killed? That is the scenario for this gripping simulation
of how a viral disease spreads. Science Week runs from the 10-19th March and this
activity is ideal for getting the whole school involved. It is interactive and relevant,
involves large numbers of students at low cost, and has photo opportunities and
potential family involvement. The simulation continues for a set period, perhaps 5
days. After that, students can use the data to focus on how diseases spread.
Curriculum link
8c microbes and disease

some micro-organisms can cause disease

micro-organisms enter the body by a range of mechanisms

not all diseases caused by micro-organisms can easily be treated by drugs

immunisation helps to protect against some diseases
Learning objectives
Students will learn
 about how pandemics spread
 why a virus such as avian flu may be dangerous to humans
Running the activity
The AviFlu is coming poster (page1 of the Aviflu PDF) can be displayed around the
school beforehand to create suspense. Before the simulation starts, decide for how
long and on what scale to run the activity. The number of viruses given to each
infected student controls the rate at which it spreads and needs to be chosen to suit
the size of the school. Examples are shown in the tables below. The activity starts
in earnest with a message appearing on school notice boards: “On Monday morning
one person will arrive in school infected by the Aviflu virus”. One teacher needs to
be nominated to be the first host of the disease, and given an hour to pass it on.
There are two main roles for the students. They can be part of the medical team or
part of the population. The students in the medical team will need to be briefed and
equipped before the activity starts. The paper ‘virus’ (page 2) has instructions to
tell infected students what they have to do.
 Those with the virus are only ‘infectious’ for the first hour.
 Anyone who spends 5 minutes within 2m of an ‘infectious’ person can get the
disease.
 At the end of the hour the ‘infectious’ person passes the virus to up to 4 of these
people.
 At the next lesson break, those who have received the virus have to report to the
‘medical team’.
 The ‘medical team’ is based in the reception area and records when each victim
was infected.
 Those infected receive a purple ribbon, or ‘infected’ badge (page 5), and up to 4
copies of the virus (page2).
 They have an hour to pass on the viruses.
 Purple ribbons, or ‘infected’ badges, have to be kept hidden until the end of the
infectious period, and then worn.
 After 4 hours, or the next day, those with purple ribbons (‘infected’ badges) return
to the ‘medical team’ to find out whether they live or die.
 Those who die receive ‘victim’ badges (page 7), or swap their purple ribbons for
black, and take a victim card (page 4). Those who survive receive ‘survivor’
badges (page 6), or swap their purple ribbons for white, and take a survivor card
(page 3).
The medical team needs to have at least 2 students on duty at each lesson break.
They give ribbons, or badges, and paper viruses to infected students and record an
I next to their names in an Excel spreadsheet. If different columns are used for
each morning and afternoon, the spread of the disease can be monitored. When
infected students return, after four hours, they throw a dice. Those with odd
numbers die. The rest survive. The medical team record the outcome and hand out
the appropriate ribbons or badges. They should also provide twice daily updates of
the total numbers infected, new infections, and deaths.
Equipment needed
(See tables below for an estimate of the numbers).
Poster materials and notice board space.
A table in the reception area for the medical team equipped with:
 A computer with an Excel file of student names arranged by tutor group and a list
of teachers.
 Dice.
 Paper viruses (page 2).
 Victim (page4) and survivor (page3) cards.
 Strips of purple, black and white ribbon and safety pins, or printed badges (pages
5-7). These are designed to be printed or photocopied onto Avery No. L7163 self
adhesive address labels.
 The ”infected” badges will need to be cut out so that they retain their backing
paper as students need to keep them hidden for an hour before they wear them.
Further Guidance
Victims of the virus could be excused school uniform so that it becomes a popular
and visible option.
Each class could represent a country and the spread of the virus across the school
form rooms could be reported as if they were separate countries. E.g. On Tuesday
the outbreak reached Japan (form 9TS). Six were initially infected and eventually
the disease killed eight people.
The simulation could be extended by letting a trial vaccine ‘become available’.
Uninfected students could opt to take it. It could be 50% effective and last for 1
day. Vaccinated students could be given certificates. They would need to take them
to the medical team when they reported as infectious. The medical team would
note who was vaccinated on the spreadsheet. 1 in 2 of the vaccinated students who
would otherwise die could be allowed to live.
A science lesson could be used to analyse the spread of the disease, using the data
from the simulation. Graphs could be plotted, and the patterns discussed. The
conclusions could be presented as an assembly.
Teachers should note that there is a related UPD8 activity on the science behind
bird flu. See BIRDFLU-Can Science Save us?
In a large school you could give out the viruses like this:
Number of viruses each infected pupil is given
to pass on
Monday
4
Tuesday
3
Wednesday 2
Thursday
1
Friday
the virus has mutated and is uninfectious
Day
Which gives the following maximum involvement:
Monday am
Monday pm
Tuesday am
Tuesday pm
Wednesday
am
Wednesday
pm
Thursday
am
Thursday
pm
Friday am
Friday pm
infectiou
survivors/vic
infected
s
tims
1
4
0
4
16
0
16
48
5
48
144
21
144
288
69
288
576
213
572
576
501
572
572
1,073
0
0
572
0
1,645
2,217
In a small school you could give out the viruses as follows:
Number of viruses each infected pupil is given
to pass on
Monday
3
Tuesday
3
Wednesday 2
1 (In some schools everyone may be infected
Thursday
by now)
Friday
the virus has mutated and is uninfectious
Day
Web links
News is moving fast, so for up to date information on 2005 bird flu you might like
to do your own search – or get students to search – sites such as the BBC or The
Guardian.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3455873.stm
BBC story about the 1918 pandemic. ‘1918 killer flu secrets revealed.’
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/430
8872.stm BBC story ‘1918 killer flu ‘came from birds.’
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWinfluenza.htm
Very accessible account of ‘The Great Influenza’ including information of ‘anti-flu’
precautions given at the time and first-hand accounts of living through times like
this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4741031
BBC news story- ‘Bird flu pandemic is stoppable.’
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Sheffield Hallam University. We are grateful for core support from
GlaxoSmithKline.
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