Epidemiology Investigation #1 - Infection Rates

Objective: Identify the relationship between different factors and the rate of transmission for Infectious Disease

Purpose: To understand the variables that affect the how disease is transmitted

Equipment: “Disease Spread” simulation on Gizmo. https://www.explorelearning.com/

Part I

• Open up the simulator. On the CONTROLS tab, place the Probability of transmission slider under Person to person half-way between Low and High. Select the SIMULATION and GRAPH tabs. Click Play. 
• At what time did the disease spread most slowly? Most quickly? 
• How could you explain this change in the rate of the disease’s spread? 
• How do the results vary if you simulate Foodborne or Airborne pathogens?
• Sketch an example of a graph for each of the methods of transmission. How would you describe each of these relationships?

Part II What is the relationship between population density and the rate of infection?

• Starting with Person-to-person contact only, determine the time required to infect five individuals for 15, 25, and 35 people respectively. Conduct three trials of each set. 
• Repeat the procedure for both food borne and airborne pathogens.
• Graph your data. Can you identify any trends? How do the three different transmission types compare?
• Write a ClEvR statement describing the relationship between population density and infection rate.

Here is a link to the on-line version of the investigation.