Activity 1.4.1 Disease Prevention Through
Vaccination
Introduction
In the aftermath of the bacterial meningitis cases at Sue’s school, all student medical
records are reviewed and any student who did not receive the meningitis vaccine is
called back in for immediate vaccination. The campus has recommended that other
local colleges and universities do the same. Vaccination is a valuable first line of
defense against this debilitating infection and can make the difference between a
few isolated cases and a full-blown outbreak.
Throughout the years, medical professionals observed that if people recovered from
an infectious disease, they rarely exhibited a second case. Scientist Edward Jenner
put this phenomenon to the test in the late 1790s. Smallpox, a highly infectious
disease characterized by small lesions on the skin, ravaged society for centuries. By
exposing a healthy patient to a similar, yet less lethal virus, Jenner was able to make
this individual immune to smallpox. This method of transferring resistance, called
vaccination (from the Latin vaccus, the word for cow), changed the way we look at
disease prevention. The World Health Organization went on to lead a large
vaccination campaign against smallpox, and in 1977 the last case of smallpox was
reported. Mass efforts to vaccinate against the disease eradicated or wiped smallpox
off the planet. Isolated cases, however, do arise and some scientists fear the use of
the smallpox virus as a biological weapon.
Mrs. Smith had her children vaccinated when they were younger, but she did not
have Sue vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. The family begins discussing
vaccinations and decides it would be prudent to create a schedule of vaccinations
that can be shared amongst the couples with children. Mrs. Smith does not plan on
having any more children. James’s brother Sean and his wife Meg have just had a
baby; she knows that James’s brother Aaron and his wife Gina are thinking of
starting a family. Meg and Sean were shocked at how many shots new baby Tyler
had to have in the first months of his life.
In this activity, you will investigate how vaccines interact with the immune system. By
interviewing family members or friends from different generations, you will discover
the effect this medical intervention has had on public health and disease prevention
in the past century.
Equipment
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Computer with Internet access and Inspiration® software
Activity 1.4.1 Student Response Sheet
Laboratory journal
Vaccination cards (optional)
Markers or colored pencils (optional)
Transparent tape (optional)
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Medical Interventions Activity 1.4.1 Disease Prevention through Vaccination – Page 1
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Poster paper (optional)
Procedure
Part I: The Power of Vaccines
1. View the How Stuff Works video The Beginning of Vaccination available at
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/science-channel/30004-100-greatestdiscoveries-the-beginning-of-vaccinations-video.htm to learn more about
scientist Edward Jenner’s vaccination experiments.
2. Summarize the work of Edward Jenner in one paragraph in your laboratory
journal.
3. Research how vaccines work and outline in your laboratory journal the steps of
successful vaccination. Your outline should reference how vaccines activate the
human immune system. Refer to the paragraph you wrote in your laboratory
journal in Activity 1.1.5 about antibodies and the immune response and use the
websites listed below to review relevant science.
o How Stuff Works – How Vaccines Work
http://health.howstuffworks.com/vaccine.htm
o Nemours Foundation – Kids Health for Kids – Immune System
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html
o The Nobel Foundation – The Immune System
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/immunity/im
mune-overview.html
4. Take out the Student Response Sheet for Activity 1.4.1. You should have already
completed the interview assignment.
5. Review the results of your interviews. Note the vaccinations that were mentioned
by a friend, a parent or guardian, and a grandparent or other “senior” member of
the community.
6. Add your list of vaccinations for each generation to the class tally board.
7. Discuss your interview findings with the class and review the answers to the
associated questions on the Student Response Sheet.
8. Answer Conclusion question 1-3.
9. Use the Internet to research the leading causes of death in the United States as
last reported by the CDC. List the top ten causes in your laboratory journal.
Complete additional research if you are unfamiliar with a medical condition that is
listed and take notes in your laboratory journal. Cite your sources.
10. Research the leading causes of death in the United States in 1900. List in your
laboratory journal the top ten causes of death. Complete additional research if
you are unfamiliar with a medical condition that is listed and take notes in your
laboratory journal. Cite your sources.
11. Answer Conclusion question 4.
12. Look at the lists for the two time periods, and with a partner brainstorm the
medical interventions that you believe are responsible for the changes in disease
prevalence over time. Decide on the five interventions (preventive measures,
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Medical Interventions Activity 1.4.1 Disease Prevention through Vaccination – Page 2
treatments, tests) you believe have made the biggest impact on overall health
and wellness in the United States. Record and describe these five interventions
in your laboratory journal.
13. Share your Top 5 medical interventions with the class. Be prepared to defend
your reasoning.
14. Note the role vaccination has played in the prevention of disease.
15. Research additional information about the vaccine that can be administered to
prevent bacterial meningitis. In your laboratory journal, write a list of five reasons
why teens should be vaccinated against this disease before heading off to
college.
16. Answer the remaining Conclusion questions.
Optional Part II: Vaccination Schedule
The Smith family is looking for an easy vaccination reference for new parents. Sean and
Meg want to know more about all of the vaccinations baby Tyler will need over the next
18 years. They want something simple to follow which provides basic information about
each disease included in Tyler’s vaccination plan. In this part of the activity, your job is
to create a prototype for an easy to follow and understand vaccination guide. Assemble
your completed guide as a class on the classroom wall (or table).
17. Obtain a vaccination sheet, markers or colored pencils, and a roll of tape from
your teacher. The vaccination sheet displays the name of an available vaccine.
18. Research the vaccination described on your sheet. Add the following information
to each sheet under the title using markers or colored pencils.
o The name(s) of the disease(s) the vaccine is designed to prevent. If
there is a common name for the disease, include this on the sheet.
Make sure to mention if this vaccine is targeted towards a virus or a
bacterium.
o A brief description of the disease and a reason why this vaccine is
important.
o A reference to how this disease can be contracted.
o A description of who this vaccination is intended for and how often it
needs to be administered.
19. Work with your classmates to arrange the sheets on the wall (or table) to create
your vaccination guide.
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Medical Interventions Activity 1.4.1 Disease Prevention through Vaccination – Page 3
Conclusion Questions
1. Why did your grandparents or other senior members of the community have
vaccinations that you did not have to have?
2. Explain how vaccination could eradicate a disease such as smallpox.
3. Explain why babies born in different countries may be vaccinated against
different diseases.
4. What do you notice about disease trends in the 1900s and in modern day? What
factors do you believe contribute to the trends you observe?
5. Do parents have a right to decide whether or not to vaccinate their child? Explain
your position.
6. Explain why the Hepatitis B vaccine is administered multiple times over the
course of a child’s life. What does it mean when doctors use the term “booster
shot”?
7. Using science you have learned in this unit, explain how doctors can determine if
you will require an additional dose of a vaccine. (HINT: Think back to your lab
work in Lesson 1.)
8. It can be said that a vaccine does not prevent infection; rather it primes the
immune system to respond to an invader. Using information about human
immune response, explain this statement. Mention what happens in the body
from the time of vaccination through contact with the infectious agent.
9. Jenner tested his vaccine on a young child. What ethical considerations must be
addressed when a new vaccine is being tested and released to the public?
Web Portfolio
Prepare a vaccination chart that you as a healthcare provider might show to your
patients to illustrate all the common vaccinations that a person is likely to need from
birth to adulthood. Be thorough, detailed and organized!! Rush jobs receive no
credit!
© 2010 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Medical Interventions Activity 1.4.1 Disease Prevention through Vaccination – Page 4