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The Geography of Disease
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 NB. All the materials and resources on this VLE on The Geography of Disease were written and compiled by Hugh Mothersole and Jo Walker between May 2006 and July 2007 , unless otherwise stated. While we will be delighted if other teachers wish to use these resources, we request that you recognise the considerable time that we have taken to put them together by acknowledging the authors and the sources.
In a globalised world where the spread of infectious diseases ignores  boundaries and potentially affects us all, we all need to be able to make informed decisions as an essential first step to reducing the ever increasing rise in infections.
The resources available here are targeted at Geography teachers and students and they are being made available for teachers from any school to use or, indeed, for students at Key Stage Three and above to use in their own independent learning.
Further materials will be added and they will be made available to all schools through the Geographical Association and Mathematical Association.
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Introduction
Introductory Lesson: Disease in Society
 This is intended to fill a 3 hour slot. It could be treated as three separate lessons, or you could select from the activities according to the time that you have available.
Click below for a quick summary:-
 Disease in Society Resource
Myxomatosis
 Myxomatosis is a disease which infects rabbits. It was first observed in Uruguay in South America in the early 1900s, it was deliberately introduced into Australia to control rabbit numbers as they were causing destruction and havoc on Australian farms.. It accidentally spread to France and arrived in the United Kingdom in 1953. Some people in the UK deliberately spread the disease, placing sick rabbits in burrows, while many others deplored the cruelty and suffering.
We can understand how a disease spreads with computer models. Below is a simple modelling program which models direct contact transferable diseases and it will enable you to change different variables of the diseases characteristics such as incubation period.
Use the model by changing the length of the infectious period and watch what happens.
If you keep the variables unchanged, do you always get the same sort of pattern each time?
We don't recommend that you create an area larger than 50 x 50.  Groundspread Model for Myxomatosis file-
Try these other modelling programs for the spread of disease:
 Spread of Disease Computer Interactive Models file
Black Death - An Introduction to the Black Death Resource
- How did the Black Death Spread: a teacher-led activity. Resource
 Cards and Maps for teacher-led activity. PDF document-
 Only when you have completed your two maps, compare them with the one below. What are the similarities and differences between the patterns. Can you explain any differences?
 Compare your finished map with this one. file-
HIV / AIDS
 Teachers can show the following thought provoking PowerPoint presentation, originally created by Tony Cassidy of 'Radical Geography', as an introduction to AID HIV. Allow the PowerPoint to run automatically.
 Introductory PowerPoint Powerpoint presentation
Understanding HIV AIDS
 NEXT: To improve your knowledge and understanding of HIV AIDS, complete the card sorting exercise* in the Resources Folder (top left). You will need to print and cut out the cards and sort them into four categories:
- Causes of the Epidemic.
- Background about AIDS/HIV.
- Strategies to tackle the epidemic.
- Impacts on African Communities
From what you have learnt about Aids in Africa, think about the lifestyles of young people in the UK today and consider how they might put themselves at risk from HIV/AIDS.
*Created by Tony Cassidy of 'Radical Geography' - AIDS /HIV Classification Exercise PDF document
Reducing the Risk
From what you have learned about Aids in Africa, think about the lifestyles of young people in the UK today and consider how they might put themselves at risk from HIV/AIDS.
NEXT: Design an A4 poster to target young people in the UK, in their teenage years or early twenties, to inform them about the risks that they may take that might increase their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Use the Poster Guide and other resources to help you. - HIV/AIDS Awareness Poster - Guide PDF document
Plenary
Consider the way the three different diseases spread: myxomatosis in rabbits, black death in the middle ages and AIDS/HIV today.
Are there any similarities?
What are the differences?
Can you explain the differences?
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Cholera
Cholera
 A. Introduction
Cholera is a waterborne disease. Use the interactive resource (below) from MedIndia.com. to find out more about waterborne diseases and more specifically about cholera.
- Cholera Student Worksheets PDF document
- Waterborne Diseases file
- Cholera is not just a tropical disease. Look at the resoure below to see how Cholera was once common in Britain.
- Cholera in Britain Resource
- Now look at the global distribution of cholera today. What are the patterns?
- Global distribution of Cholera today. Resource
- We will now look more closely at one specific outbreak of Cholera in Juba in Sudan. Watch the following news clip.
 Outbreak of Cholera in Juba file- An outbreak of Cholera in a less developed part of the world can have devastating consequences. Sudan depends very heavily on the river Nile for drinking water and sewerage systems are basic. Raw sewage is often released into the river, so there is a high risk that the disease might spread.
- Where is Juba? Resource
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B. Cholera and Natural Disasters
 Outbreaks of cholera are more likely after a natural disaster, such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2005. Why do you think this is so?
Watch the following movie clip:
- Cholera outbreak in Orissa, India file
- Where is Orissa? Resource
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C. Why does Cholera Spread?
- Why does Cholera Spread? Resource
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D. Cholera and Poverty
- Cholera and Poverty Resource
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E. Cholera in Refugee Camps.
Watch the following movie clip from a refugee camp on Goma on the border between Zaire and Rwanda.
- Cholera in a Refugee Camp in Goma, Zaire file
- About the Rwanda Genocide Resource
- Your Task: Resource
- Plenary Questions Resource
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Malaria
Malaria - The World's Worst Killer Disease
 Malaria is an infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It infects between 300 and 500 million people every year and causes between one and three million deaths annually, mostly among young children in Sub-Saharan Africa (Africa south of the Sahara Desert).
A. Introduction to Malaria
Malaria is not just a disease commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.
- Health Politics - A Doctor talks about Malaria file
- Key Terms used in the Doctor's talk Resource
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 Use the following two games from NobelPrize.org to learn more about malaria and plasmodium: the protozoan parasite that causes malaria.
 Play the Malaria Game file- Play the Parasite Game file
B. Why does Malaria spread?
- Why does Malaria Spread? Resource
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C. What can you do?
 Watch the following movie clip to find out.
- What can you do? file
 Nothing But Nets Website fileMalaria is a preventable disease. Watch the following movie clip.
Why do you think that malaria is still the worlds biggest killer? - Preventable Malairia file
D. Your Task
- Your Task Resource
- Malaria factsheet PDF document
E. How much have you learnt about Malaria?
Can you afford to Fling Your Teacher? Click on the link below for a Quiz. - Malaria - Fling Your Teacher Quiz file
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Bilharzia
An Independent Learning task on Bilharzia
 Using the instructions below, the fact-sheet and the directory of resources, you are going to produce a presentation or a short movie on Bilharzia.
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Avian Influenza
 To find out how an outbreak of bird flu might affect you, watch this 36 minute extract from a BBC Horizon programme.
To help you make notes on the video, download and print out a copy of the Bird Flu Questions sheet before you start watching.
- Questions to guide your notes. PDF document
- Editted BBC Horizon Programme on Bird Flu (high resolution large file)
- Editted BBC Horizon Programme on Bird Flu (low resolution smaller file)
- Outline Lesson Plan for Teachers PDF document
More from the BBC on Bird Flu
Click here to find out how Bird Flu has spread across the globe so far.
Click here to find out more about Avian Influenza -
 Lesson Activity
Current threat: Bird flu does not pose a large-scale threat to humans as it cannot pass easily from one person to another.
Future threat: However experts fear the virus could mutate at some point in the future and trigger a lethal human flu pandemic.
The following exercise raises the question "What will we do when...?" should the virus mutate leading to a pandemic.
- Outline lesson plan for teachers PDF document
- "What will we do when?" resources PDF document
- Probable Futures PDF document
- Find out more about Avian Influenza. file
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